Identify a verbal’s role in a sentence
The idea
A gerund acts as a noun, a participle modifies a noun, and an infinitive often begins with to plus a base verb.
Step by step
- Locate the named verbal and examine its form.
- Find what job it performs: noun, modifier or an infinitive construction.
- Choose the description supported by that particular sentence rather than by the ending alone.
Example
In “Swimming builds endurance,” what is the role of Swimming?
Answer
A gerund functioning as the subject
Swimming names the activity that is the sentence’s subject; builds is the finite verb.
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Compare Painting relaxes Jo with Jo carried a painted sign. Explain why one verbal is a noun and the other a modifier.
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