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Verbals: Gerunds, Participles and Infinitives

English · Grammar & Punctuation · ages 12-14

Name ______________________ Date ____________

In 'the barking dog,' what job does barking do?
- It describes dog like an adjective.
- It names the activity as the subject.
- It gives the reason for another action.
In 'Running keeps me fit,' what job does running do?
- It forms a verb phrase telling what I do.
- It names an activity as the subject.
- It describes the person like an adjective.
A to-infinitive is formed with 'to' plus the base form of a verb.
Circle one: True False
Which sentence uses 'reading' as a gerund object of a verb?
- Noor enjoys reading after dinner.
- Noor is reading after dinner now.
- The reading child sits beside Noor.
In 'She trained to win,' which expression is an infinitive showing purpose?
- trained: it describes the person who wins
- to win: it shows why she trained
- She: it names the purpose of the training
Which sentence makes 'startled by the bell' describe Noor?
- Startled by the bell, Noor dropped her pen.
- Startled by the bell, Noor's pen fell to the floor.
- Startled by the bell, a clatter came from Noor's pen.
Compare 'To win the race takes practice' and 'Maya trained hard to win the race.' What job does 'to win the race' do in each?
- It describes the race, then describes Maya's effort.
- It shows a purpose, then is the subject.
- It is the subject, then shows a purpose.
Leo calls 'swimming' a gerund in both 'Swimming helps me relax' and 'the swimming children' because both end in -ing. Which check corrects his rule?
- Both words are gerunds because their endings match.
- One names an activity; the other describes children.
- Both words are participles because both name actions.

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Verbals: Gerunds, Participles and Infinitives W1-mt_bz_7yQVJaw-s1

It describes dog like an adjective. · Barking describes dog, so it is a participle doing an adjective's job. A description can refer to barking happening now.
It names an activity as the subject. · Running names the activity that keeps me fit. It is the subject, so this -ing form does a noun's job as a gerund.
True · The statement is true for to-infinitives. For example, to hum combines to with the base verb hum. Some other infinitives appear without to.
Noor enjoys reading after dinner. · In 'Noor enjoys reading after dinner,' reading names what Noor enjoys. It does a noun's job as the object of enjoys, so it is a gerund.
to win: it shows why she trained · To win has the form to plus a base verb. It explains why she trained, so this infinitive shows purpose.
Startled by the bell, Noor dropped her pen. · The opening participial phrase describes the subject after the comma. Noor is that subject in 'Startled by the bell, Noor dropped her pen.'
It is the subject, then shows a purpose. · To win the race is the subject of takes in the practice sentence. In Maya's sentence, it explains why she trained. An infinitive phrase can have different jobs.
One names an activity; the other describes children. · Swimming is a gerund subject in 'Swimming helps me relax.' In 'the swimming children,' it describes children as a participle. The same ending can serve different jobs.