Participles, Gerunds And Infinitives English Grammar Worksheet Page 2
ADVERTISEMENT
1
2
3
4Gerunds
Gerunds look like continuous tense (-ing) verbs but function as nouns.
Ex. My favorite hobby is swimming.
Subject
Verb
Gerund
Notice that the verb in this example is not ‘swimming’. The word ‘swimming’ describes a hobby or an
activity, and so is a noun rather than a verb. Gerunds often follow prepositions in sentences.
Verb
Gerund
Ex. She was fined for driving dangerously.
Subject
Preposition
Adverb
Note: As in the above example, gerunds, though nouns, can be modified by adverbs or adjectives.
An alternative form of the above sentence could read “She was fined for dangerous driving”, with
‘dangerous’ included as the adjective.
Infinitives
Infinitives are the standard, dictionary form of verbs that include the word ‘to’, as in ‘to go’, ‘to see’
and ‘to explain’. Infinitives function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences.
Noun:
Ex. The ministers wanted to ratify the trade agreement.
Subject
Verb
Object
Adjective:
Ex. We do not have the funding to build the proposed sports facility.
Subject
Verb
Object
Adjective
Adverb:
Ex. The graduate student tried to complete her thesis.
Subject
Verb
Adverb
Note: In the first example, the verb ‘wanted’ takes the infinitive ‘to ratify’ as its direct object noun. In
other words, the thing the ministers really wanted was ‘ratification’. In the second example, the verb
already has a direct object noun (‘the funding’), and so the infinitive must act as an adjective that
ADVERTISEMENT
0 votes
Related Articles
Related forms
Related Categories
Parent category: Education