Would you rather . . . ?

Have a third arm.
Have hair down to your toes.
Have no nose.

View Results

Verbals: Gerunds, Infinitives, Participles

In one sense, the three verbals — gerunds, infinitives, and participles — should not be covered in this section on verbs. Although formed from verbs, verbals are never used alone as the action words in sentences; instead, they function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. These verbals are important in phrases.

  • The gerund ends in - ing and functions as a noun.

    • Jumping is fun.

    • He liked skiing.

  • The infinitive is the base form of a verb with to. Usually it also functions as a noun, although it can be an adjective or adverb.

    • To jump is fun. (noun; subject of is)

    • I like to ski. (noun; object of like)

    • She had a suggestion to offer. (adjective modifying suggestion)

    • He called to warn her. (adverb modifying called)

  • A participle is a verb that ends in - ing (present participle) or - ed, -d, -t, -en, -n (past participle). Participles may function as adjectives, describing or modifying nouns.

    • The dancing bear entertained the crowd.

    • The beaten man hobbled into the woods.

  • But participles have another function. Used with helping verbs such as to be and to have, they form several verb tenses.

    • She is thinking of the children.

    • The boat had been cleaned before they arrived.

Cite this article

cover
Learn the Words You Should Know
Vocabulary Puzzles is the fun way to ace the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT & more!
The Ultimate Learning Experience!
WATCH the film and READ the lit note for a fast way to study!
Learn more!
Learn Shakespeare on the Double!
Get the original text and a line-for-line modern English translation.
Learn more!