Verbal phrases

A verbal is a verb form that does not function as the verb of a clause. Verbals include

• present participles (the -ing form of the verb)

• past participles (the verb form usually ending in -d, -ed, -n, -en, or -t)

• gerunds (present participles used as nouns)

• infinitives (the word to plus the base form of the verb)

Verbals can take objects, complements, and modifiers to form verbal phrases. These phrases are classified as participial, gerund, and infinitive.

Participial phrases

Participial phrases always function as adjectives. Their verbals are either present participles, always ending in -ing, or past participles, frequently ending in -d, -ed, -n, -en, or -t (many irregular verbs have irregular past participles).

Participial phrases frequently appear immediately following the noun or pronoun they modify.

Unlike other adjectival word groups, however, which must always follow the noun or pronoun they modify, participial phrases are often movable. They can precede the word they modify.

They may also appear at some distance from the word they modify.

Gerund phrases

Gerund phrases are built around present participles (verb forms ending in -ing), and they always function as nouns: usually as subjects, subject complements, direct objects, or objects of the preposition.

Infinitive phrases

Infinitive phrases, usually constructed around to plus the base form of the verb (to call, to drink), can function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. When functioning as a noun, an infinitive phrase may appear in almost any spot in a sentence, usually as a subject, subject complement, or direct object.

NOTE:In some constructions, the infinitive is unmarked; in other words, the to does not appear: No one can make you [to] feel inferior without your consent.

Exercise: Verbal phrases 1

Exercise: Verbal phrases 2

Related topics:

Gerunds after prepositions

Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives

Avoiding verbal phrases as sentence fragments

object The part of the sentence that receives the action of a transitive verb.

complement A word that follows a linking verb and renames the subject (subject complement) or that follows and renames a direct object (object complement).

modifier A word, phrase, or clause that describes or qualifies the meaning of another word, phrase, or clause.

adjective A word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun: lame, old, rare, beautiful; also the articles a, an, the.

present participle A verb form ending in -ing and functioning as part of main verbs or as an adjective.

subject Grammatically, a word or word group that names who or what a sentence is about.

subject complement A word or word group that follows a linking verb and either renames or describes the subject.

direct object A word or word group that receives the action of the verb.

object of a preposition The noun or noun equivalent that follows a preposition.

adjective A word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun: lame, old, rare, beautiful; also the articles a, an, the.

adverb A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb: very, smoothly, never.

noun The name of a person, place, thing, or an idea.

subject Grammatically, a word or word group that names who or what a sentence is about.

subject complement A word or word group that follows a linking verb and either renames or describes the subject.

direct object A word or word group that receives the action of the verb.