1. Name and define the three types of verbals.

Answer:

Participle - A verbal used as an adjective.

Gerund - A verbal ending in -ing and used as a noun.

Infinitive - A verbal that usually begins with TO and is used as a noun, adjective or adverb.

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Infinitives---can be used as nouns, adjectives and adverbs.  CLUE:  They almost always start with “To.”  Watch, however, that you don’t confuse them with prepositional phrases such as “to the store.”  The difference is that one is a verbal and one has an object of the preposition, or noun, after it (store).

Examples of Infinitives: 

To hurl violently is sometimes necessary.

(Infinitive used as a subject noun of verb, is)

I feel the need to hurl.

(Infinitive used as adjective.  “To hurl” modifies the noun, “need”)

He hurled to detoxify himself.

(Infinitive used as Adverb.  “To detoxify himself” is modifying the verb, hurled)

Internet surfers use electronic bulletin boards to swap software. (Infinitive phrase—used as adverb because why ‘use’)

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Gerunds---can be used as nouns.  CLUE:  Look for these to be used as subject nouns, direct objects and objects of the preposition.

Examples of Gerunds:

Singing is my favorite form of self-expression.

(Gerund used as subject noun)

Wearing a plaid sweater makes the dog look dorky.

(Gerund Phrase used as Subject)

I enjoy singing Beatle songs loudly.

(Gerund Phrase used as Predicate Nominative)

John Lennon's singing always moves me.

(Gerund Phrase used as noun)

The defense attorney's probing displeased the judge.

(Gerund Phrase used as subject)

Walking down Main Street can be dangerous after dark.

(Gerund phrase used as subject)

Thomas Edison became famous for inventing the light bulb.

(Gerund Phrase used as object of the preposition)

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Participals---used as adjectives.  CLUE:  Ask yourself if it ends in –ing.  Normally, these end in –ing and they also MODIFY a noun.

Examples of Participals: 

The dog wearing a plaid sweater went for a walk.

(Participial phrase used as an adjective)

The singing nun became a superstar.

(Participle used as adjective)

"Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing."

(Robert Benchley)

The Bible's Jezebel came to an ugly end. Thrown from a balcony, trampled by horses, and devoured by dogs, the middle-aged queen has had few good days since.

Dangling Participial Phrases

A participial phrase should refer clearly to a noun or pronoun in the sentence. We have to be careful when combining sentences such as these:

      I curled my toes and squinted.

      The doctor prepared to puncture my arm with a needle.

Notice what happens if we drop "I" and change the first sentence to a participial phrase:

      Curling my toes and squinting, the doctor prepared to puncture my arm with a needle.

See if you can identify two participial phrases in this sentence.

Guiding the ball through the upper chutes, down a runover lane, off the slingshot bumpers to the flippers, I cradled it there, bouncing it back and forth until I had a perfect shot through the spinner.

(J. Anthony Lucas, "The Inner Game of Pinball")

PRACTICE

Turning a doorknob can be difficult for arthritics.

(gerund phrase used as subject)

To turn a doorknob can be difficult for arthritics.

(infinitive phrase used as subject)

It can be difficult for arthritics to turn a doorknob.

(infinitive phrase used as object of preposition)

Researchers wanted to analyze their patterns.

(adverbial infinitive phrase)

See also:

http://grammar.about.com/od/basicsentencegrammar/a/BuildPartPhrase.htm

for more about participial phrases and sentence combining