Page 88 - Basic English Grammar Student Textbook short

Study Section 19: Advanced Topics

19.1 Connect

Did you know that sometimes verbs can be nouns? How is that possible? It’s called a gerund and it
looks like a verb but is really acting like a noun. The key to finding a gerund is that they end in -ing.
But it’s not that simple. Some other words end in -ing also. They are called participles, but words
that are participles are verbs that act as an adjective, describing a noun or pronoun. So, we have to
figure out if a word ending in -ing is a gerund or a participle. Let’s see if we can figure that out….

19.2 Verbals

A verbal is a word that looks like a verb (it appears in verb form) but functions as a different part of
speech. There are three types of verbals: gerunds, participles, and infinitives.
Gerunds
A gerund is a verb form used as a noun. All gerunds end in –ing (no exceptions!) and may look like
verbs, but they function as nouns.

Like all things grammar, gerunds do take a tiny bit of detective work to spot. The problem here is that present
participles also end with the letters ing. Besides being able to spot gerunds, you should be able to tell the
difference between a gerund and a present participle.

Let’s go back to the definition of a gerund for a moment. Remember that gerunds are words that are formed
with verbs but act as nouns. Present participles do not act as nouns. Instead, they act as modifiers or complete
progressive verbs. To find gerunds in sentences, just look for a verb + ing that is used as a noun. It’s that simple.

Participles
A participle is a verb form used as an adjective to modify nouns and pronouns. A participle is easily identified as
ending in either –ing or –ed (or the past tense form of a verb; could be a –t or -n).

Present participles end in -ing.

• The sound of running water told me the pipe had burst. (Running modifies water.)
• The snarling dog scared us, and we left. (Snarling modifies dog.)

Past participles often end in -ed or -t, but they can also take other forms.
• A watched pot never boils. (Watched modifies pot.)
• The house built of straw collapsed when the wolf blew it down. (Built modifies house.)
• The ice cream left in the bowl began to melt. (Left modifies ice cream.)
Infinitives

An infinitive is a verb form that is used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. An infinitive starts with the word
"to" (not the preposition) and the base of the verb.
Examples: to run, to jump, to find, etc.

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