Verbals Notes (Day 1): Gerunds
What is a verbal? A verbal is a word that looks like a verb, but does not act like a verb. A verbal is a part of speech other than a verb (noun, adjective, adverb)
Types of Verbals Participles Infinitives Gerunds
TODAY’S VERBAL: THE GERUND
What does it look like? Gerunds look like verbs, and end in –ing. Examples: running, jumping, swimming, hiking
How do they behave? Gerunds are nouns. They may not look like it, but they are things. Examples: Yelling and screaming can be things.
Gerunds can be… Subjects of sentences. Objects of sentences (direct, indirect, prepositional).
Examples Biking is a good cardiovascular activity. (Biking is used as the subject of the sentence.) I hate whining. (Whining is used as a direct object in this sentence.)
Gerund phrases These are gerunds with words that work together. The gerund phrase will act as a noun. Example: I love mountain biking. Example: I can’t stand whining about class work.
Practice: In each of the following sentences, determine what each gerund is, and what part of a sentence it is. The grumbling is causing everyone to get upset. My sister loves sleeping past noon.