Verbals and Verbal Phrases

ELA8C1f—The student

analyzes

the structure of a sentence (

basic sentence parts

).

What is a VERBAL?

 A verb acting like another part of speech  3 types: infinitives, gerunds, and participles

Infinitives

   to + a verb Can be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb in a sentence Examples:   I like to read before I go to sleep.

Most people like to watch comedies on TV.

 To succeed in school, you must work hard.

Infinitives vs. Prepositional Phrases

   Be aware that the word TO does not always mean you have an infinitive.

If TO is not followed by a verb, it is NOT an infinitive.

  I like to shop at the mall.

Let’s go to the mall.

Which sentence contains an infinitive and which sentence contains a prepositional phrase? Why?

Gerunds

   A verb acting like a noun Always ends in –ing Can be used as subjects, direct objects and indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and predicate nominatives.

Gerunds continued

  Examples    Swimming is my favorite sport.

Do you like riding horses?

Many students like playing basketball in PE.

Gerund or not?

  The dog, carrying its bone in its mouth, ran around the house.

 Carrying is NOT a gerund; not used as a noun Smiling is an indication that a person is happy.

 Smiling is a gerund; it is used as a noun (subject of the the sentence)

Participles

   A verb acting like an adjective Often ends in –ing or –ed but occasionally ends in another way Examples   Smiling, the teacher collected homework from her students.

I like ice skating on frozen ponds.

  Barking dogs can be a nuisance.

The burnt popcorn made the entire house smell.

Participial Phrases

  A participial phrase is a participle and all of its objects or modifiers Examples  Rounding third base, the runner charged toward home plate.

  The pitcher, losing control, has overthrown the ball.

Especially pleased, the crowd cheered loudly.

Hints

  Participles and participial phrases are almost always near the noun or pronoun they modify.

Participles and participial phrases can usually be taken out of a sentence and the sentence will still make sense.

  The skilled catcher trapped the wild pitch in his mitt.

The catcher trapped the wild pitch in his mitt.