Did the word “verbals” scare you in school? Or do you even remember it? The subject of “verbals” drove me crazy until… the day I realized verbals were simply cross-dressing verbs with dumb names: gerund, infinitive, participle (yes, the dreaded p-word). Here’s the skinny.
A gerund is a verb that adds “ing” to its ensemble and becomes… voila!… a noun. (Playing with words is fun.)
The infinitive is a verb preceded by “to” that turns into… yep!… another noun. (To play with words is fun.)
The participle is the troublemaker. A participle is a verb that turns into an adjective. This one is dressed in “ed” or “ing” and is used to modify nouns and pronouns. (Adjective: The confused verb adds to grammar pandemonium.) (Adjective phrase: Confused with rules, writers scream and tear their hair.)
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