VERBALS

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VERBALS

• Words that look like verbs, but theyre not USED
  like verbs!

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Participles and Participial Phrases

• Think back to your verbs. A present participle
  is formed by adding ing to a verb, and a past
  participle is usually formed by adding ed to a
  verb
• BUT a participle, when it is a verbal, acts as an
  ADJECTIVE!

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DONT PANIC!

• Its no different than any other word acting two
  different ways.
• The work is easy. (Work is acting as a noun)
• Did you work today? (Work is acting as a verb)

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EXAMPLES

• The robin was singing in the tree. (Notice the
  being verb, which means you should recognize the
  formula (be ing)mv that tells you whenever a
  VERB ends with ing, it has to have a helping
  verb.)
• The cat stared at the singing robin. (Notice
  that singing is now describing robin

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EXAMPLES

• The past participle has a helping verb, too, but
  dont confuse the past tense verb with a verbal.
• Tammy has tossed the water balloon.
• I tossed the water balloon.
• When acting as a verbal, see if you can identify
  the verb in the sentence.
• The tossed water balloon hit the sidewalk.
• Hit is the verb of the sentence, and tossed is
  describing the water balloon.

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IS IT A VERB OR VERBAL?

• State whether the word in italics is a verb or
  verbal.
• The running guard caught the pass from Tony.
• The nervous bird was pecking at the girl.
• The spilled oil spread over the floor.
• Carol rescued the trembling cat.
• The rescued cat was trembling.

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PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

• A participial phrase, as any other phrase,
  includes all the other words that complete its
  meaning. Place the phrase next to the word it is
  describing to avoid unclear meanings. A
  participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence
  is set off with a comma. Other phrases,
  depending if theyre essential or nonessential,
  will or will not be set off with commas.

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EXAMPLES

• The girl throwing the water balloon is Tammy.
• Tammy, throwing the water balloon, aimed at the
  target.
• Running quickly after Tammy, I threw the balloon
  back.
• Tammy, scared of getting wet, hid behind a tree.

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PRACTICE

• IDENTIFY THE PHRASE AND THE WORD IT MODIFIES.
• Blackie, catching the stick in mid-air, trotted
  proudly back to Steve.
• The lot, filled with cars, is enormous.
• The box of fruit containing pears, apples, and
  oranges arrived at the door.
• Did they see the train coming around the bend?
• The tall man wearing the gray suit is a judge.
• Carrying plenty of water, we set out for the
  summit of the mountain.
• Surprised when we all jumped out and sang Happy
  Birthday, Grandma cried.
• Homeless families often stayed at a shelter
  operated by a local church.
• A banana peel lying on the ground caused the
  comedian to slip.
• I saw the maid climbing the stairs toward the
  forbidden room.

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GERUNDS AND GERUND PHRASES

• Just when you thought it was safe to relax,
  theres more!
• In addition to being used as an adjective, a
  verbal ending in ing can also be a Gerund. The
  good news is that Gerunds ONLY end in ing.
• The bad news-Gerunds act as nouns, so that means
  a gerund can be acting as the subject, predicate
  nominative, direct object, and object of the
  preposition.

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EXAMPLES

• Flying is a skill birds must learn. (subject)
• My favorite hobby is reading. (PN)
• Young babies practice walking. (DO)
• They can alert parents by crying. (OP)

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GERUND PHRASES

• A gerund phrase includes all the other words that
  complete its meaning, too.
• EXAMPLES
• Flying in a storm takes practice. (subject)
• A favorite summer past time is sunning on the
  beach. (PN)
• Birds learn flying in high winds at a young age.
  (DO)
• Many birds owe their survival to flying away from
  enemies. (OP)

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PRACTICE

• Identify the phrase and state what kind it is.
• Our neighbor Mr. Montoya enjoys seeing his son on
  Fathers Day.
• Having a special day to honor fathers was the
  idea of a Spokane, Washington woman.
• American Muslims celebrate Ramadan by fasting
  during the day.
• A big part of the Fourth of July is watching
  fireworks.
• Signing the Declaration of Independence began the
  American Revolution, but in winning the War of
  Independence, the colonies became a new and
  independent nation.

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MORE PRACTICE

• State if the word in italics is a verb,
  participle, or gerund. Gerund-state the kind
  Participle-tell word it modifies.
• Eating special foods is one way to celebrate
  special days.
• Certain states are celebrating regional holidays.
• Another tradition is making New Years
  resolutions.
• The early months of the year are rich in holidays
  honoring important Americans.
• By making resolutions, many people are hoping to
  stop old habits or begin new ones.
• Bringing customs and traditions from their
  homelands, immigrants add to the rich holiday mix
  in America.

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INFINITIVE AND INFINITVE PHRASES

• Infinitives are easy to spot, yet they can act as
  a noun, adverb, or adjective. However, we will
  only worry about infinitives as nouns. (This is
  when you say, Thank you, Mrs. Chapman and mean
  it! ? )
• An infinitive to mv
• Whenever you see the word to followed by a verb,
  its an infinitive. When the word to is followed
  by a noun, its a preposition.
• I am always looking for a chance to read.
  (infinitive)
• I go to the library at least once a week.
  (preposition)

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PREPOSITION OR INFINITIVE?

• State whether the words in italics are
  prepositions or infinitives.
• Everyone would like to get good grades.
• I gave my report card to my mother.
• She sent cards to many different people.
• I hate to go to bed without brushing my teeth.
• Who likes to read historical novels?
• Please move that chair to the living room.
• To be or not to be that is the question.
• She wants to return her new shoes.

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INFINITIVE PHRASES

• An infinitive phrase also includes all the other
  words that complete its meaning.
• To read is enjoyable. (just the infinitive)
• To read all of Dean Koonzs books this summer
  will be a challenge. (phrase)

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PRACTICE

• State whether the infinitive is acting as a
  subject, PN, or DO.
• My uncle Ken loves to hit golf balls.
• To say youre not interested seems unfair.
• What is not a picnic is to go swimming in frigid
  Lake Superior.
• Please dont forget to water the plants while Im
  gone.
• To point to people is not polite.

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REMEMBER!

• Dont get the verbals mixed with the verbs in the
  sentence. Eliminate confusion by finding the
  main verb in the sentence, THEN look at the other
  words that also look like verbs. Also, dont
  forget that you can have more than one verb in a
  sentence, or more than one verbal, too.