LanguageTeach

San Jose City College

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  Parts of Speech: Using All Verbals Correctly
             Parts of speech are the building blocks of sentences: form follows function.

A Close Look at All the Verbals: Participles, Gerunds, and Infinitives
Verbals are in bold print in the sentences below. Read the sentences and guess the sentence function of the verbals. Then read the note to verify your guess.

Verbals Example Sentences Sentence Notes

Present Participle Stingrays
A stingray is a large fish with a flat body and several sharp points on its back near its tail. are not normally threatening creatures unless they feel theatened.
A crocodile
A crocodile is a large reptile with a long body, a long mouth, and very sharp teeth. is a more threatening animal. Threatening precedes and modifies a noun in both sentences, so it's a participial adjective.

Past Participle The stingray that killed Steve Irwin felt threatened.
A threatened stingray rarely inflicts a mortal wound. (If you click the Irwin link, don't get lost in the wild. Click the back arrow to return to this page.) Felt is a linking verb. Threatened functions as the subject complement.
In the second sentence threatened is an adjective modifying the noun stingray.

The meaning is passive: The stingray was threatened by Steve's getting too close.

Gerund The stingray's swinging its spine upwards and stabbing him with its poisonous barb killed Irwin, who was so close he couldn't get away. The gerund phrases with swinging and stabbing are the subjects of the sentence. A noun or pronoun before a gerund is always possessive form.

Infinitive A dive boat crew tried to revive Irwin, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The infinitive functions as the direct object of the verb tried.

  Select the correct verbal for the sentences below. Analyze the sentence function required by the sentence and make a choice. Green signals a correct answer.

1. We all must do out part global . The infinitive functions as an appositive: apply the test - our part is to reduce global warming. Global warming functions as the direct object of the infinitive.
2. Carbon dioxide and other gases cause global warming by solar heat in the atmosphere. Trapping functions as the object of the preposition by, so it's a gerund.

3. The majority of scientists agree that the evidence for global warming is . Overwhelming functions as the subject complement of the noun clause. It's a participial adjective.

4. Evidence includes gradually glaciers, droughts and storms, and dislocation of animals from their natural habitats. Melting and increasing are participial adjectives that modify nouns. They are derived from active verbs: Glaciers are melting and droughts and storms are increasing.

5. sea levels could devastate coastal areas worldwide. Rising modifies the noun sea levels, so it's a participial adjective derived from the active verb as in (S)ea levels rise.

6. our daily routines can help slow global warming. Changing functions as the subject of the sentence. Therefore, it's a gerund. The object of the gerund is our daily routines.

7. The money by programmable thermostats can amount to $100 per year. Saved derives from a passive verb in an adjective clause [that can be saved] so it's a participial adjective.
Installing is the object of the preposition by, so it's a gerund. The object of the gerund phrase is thermostats.

8. Water heaters should be well insulated money. To save money is an infinitive phrase that expresses purpose. The phrase, therefore, functions as an adverb.

9. clothes in cold or warm water can save a lot of energy. Washing functions as the subject of the sentence, so it's a gerund. It's object is clothes.

10. It is important the habit of electronic devices when we're not using them. The infinitive completes the meaning of the adjective important, so it functions as an adjective complement.
Unplugging functions as a gerund since it's the object of the preposition of.

11. trees, we should all buy paper products. The infinitive phrase to conserve trees expresses purpose; it has an adverbial function. To test it, place it at the end of the sentence.

Recycled is a participial adjective as it modifies the noun paper products.

12. Shade by trees reduces the need for air conditioning. The adjective phrase is derived from an adjective clause with a passive verb: Shade ~~that is~~ provided by trees ...becomes shade provided by trees.

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Verbals	Example Sentences	Sentence Notes
Present Participle	Stingrays A stingray is a large fish with a flat body and several sharp points on its back near its tail. are not normally threatening creatures unless they feel theatened. A crocodile A crocodile is a large reptile with a long body, a long mouth, and very sharp teeth. is a more threatening animal.	Threatening precedes and modifies a noun in both sentences, so it's a participial adjective.
Past Participle	The stingray that killed Steve Irwin felt threatened. A threatened stingray rarely inflicts a mortal wound. *(If you click the Irwin link, don't get lost in the wild. Click the back arrow to return to this page.)*	Felt is a linking verb. Threatened functions as the subject complement. In the second sentence threatened is an adjective modifying the noun stingray. The meaning is passive: The stingray was threatened by Steve's getting too close.
Gerund	The stingray's swinging its spine upwards and stabbing him with its poisonous barb killed Irwin, who was so close he couldn't get away.	The gerund phrases with swinging and stabbing are the subjects of the sentence. A noun or pronoun before a gerund is always possessive form.
Infinitive	A dive boat crew tried to revive Irwin, but their attempts were unsuccessful.	The infinitive functions as the direct object of the verb tried.

1.	We all must do out part global .	The infinitive functions as an appositive: apply the test - our part is to reduce global warming. Global warming functions as the direct object of the infinitive.
2.	Carbon dioxide and other gases cause global warming by solar heat in the atmosphere.	Trapping functions as the object of the preposition by, so it's a gerund.
3.	The majority of scientists agree that the evidence for global warming is .	Overwhelming functions as the subject complement of the noun clause. It's a participial adjective.
4.	Evidence includes gradually glaciers, droughts and storms, and dislocation of animals from their natural habitats.	Melting and increasing are participial adjectives that modify nouns. They are derived from active verbs: Glaciers are melting and droughts and storms are increasing.
5.	sea levels could devastate coastal areas worldwide.	Rising modifies the noun sea levels, so it's a participial adjective derived from the active verb as in (S)ea levels rise.
6.	our daily routines can help slow global warming.	Changing functions as the subject of the sentence. Therefore, it's a gerund. The object of the gerund is our daily routines.
7.	The money by programmable thermostats can amount to $100 per year.	Saved derives from a passive verb in an adjective clause [that can be saved] so it's a participial adjective. Installing is the object of the preposition by, so it's a gerund. The object of the gerund phrase is thermostats.
8.	Water heaters should be well insulated money.	To save money is an infinitive phrase that expresses purpose. The phrase, therefore, functions as an adverb.
9.	clothes in cold or warm water can save a lot of energy.	Washing functions as the subject of the sentence, so it's a gerund. It's object is clothes.
10.	It is important the habit of electronic devices when we're not using them.	The infinitive completes the meaning of the adjective important, so it functions as an adjective complement. Unplugging functions as a gerund since it's the object of the preposition of.
11.	trees, we should all buy paper products.	The infinitive phrase to conserve trees expresses purpose; it has an adverbial function. To test it, place it at the end of the sentence. Recycled is a participial adjective as it modifies the noun paper products.
12.	Shade by trees reduces the need for air conditioning.	The adjective phrase is derived from an adjective clause with a passive verb: Shade ~~that is~~ provided by trees ...becomes shade provided by trees.