by Kerry Michael Wood

Created on: August 28, 2010   Last Updated: May 01, 2011

Verbals are an integral part of the English language. We all use them on a daily basis. They are forms of verbs that act like nouns, adjectives or adverbs. The three kinds of verbals are infinitives, participles, and gerunds. Let's look at them in simple situations.

INFINITIVES are verbals usually involving the word "to." An infinitive can act as a noun, and adjective, an adverb, or an absolute.

[Infinitive as noun] To swim is an important skill. [To swim is the subject of the sentence, therefore acting as a noun.]

[Infinitive as adjective] Hamlet is a difficult play to direct. [To direct is an adjective modifying play.]

[Infinitive as adverb] The contestant smiled to suggest confidence. [To suggest is an adverb modifying smiled. Here the verbal takes the direct object "confidence."]

[infinitive as an absolute] To tell the truth, she guessed at the answer. [To tell the truth modifies the entire sentence. Because they are part verb, infinitives may take a direct object like truth.]

PARTICIPLES are verbal adjectives. The present participle ends in -ing and modifies a noun or pronoun. it may be active or passive.

[Present active participle] Grinning, Jack rose when he heard his name. [Grinning modifies Jack.]

[Present passive participle] The choir concentrated on the chord change being performed. [Being performed modifies change.]

Irregular verbs may take various endings other than -ed.

[Past active participle] The choir beautifully performed the oratorio written by Mendelssohn. [Written is a past participle modifying oratorio.]

A participle may also act as an absolute.

[Participle as an absolute] All things considered, the performance was a major triumph. [The participial phrase All things considered modifies the remainder of the sentence.]

GERUNDS are verbal nouns that end in -ing.

[Gerund as subject] Biking is great exercise. 

[Gerund as direct object] Jane hates biking.

[Gerund as object of preposition] He owes his slenderness to strict dieting.

[Gerund as appositive] His final task, proofreading, will take a half hour.

Memory Device: To separate gerunds from participles, remember that the "n" in gerund means it is a verbal noun; the "a" in participle means it is a verbal adjective.

Verbals are often parts of phrases, and infinitives may appear without the word to. See if you can distinguish the verbals in the following sentences.

Writing and revising his review of the Broadway show involved chewing through four pencils. [The subject is the compound gerund Writing and revising his review of the Broadway show; the verb is involved; the complement is chewing through four pencils.]

Having been treated so unfairly made Rachel a vicious critic. [Having been treated so unfairly is the complete subject.]

I enjoy watching her make funny faces. [Make is an infinitive and faces is its direct object.]

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