Verbals

Verbals are words that look like verbs but act like another part of speech. They include PARTICIPLES, GERUNDS, and INFINITIVES. This series covers three ways we often use verbals. Gerunds are nouns that end with -ing. Verb Patterns are verb-verbal pairings. Participle Adjectives are adjectives that end with -ed or -ing.

Table of Contents

Verbals

Gerunds

Gerunds may look like verbs, but these words and phrases act like nouns. Actions may be verbs, but activities are nouns, (consider hobbies that end with -ing, for instance). Think about the -ing like any other suffix: it’s added to the end of a word to alter its part of speech. Insights to English uses these perspectives when approaching Gerunds.

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Properties of Gerunds

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Verb Patterns

Verb Patterns are verb-verbal pairings and are also referred to as ‘Verb Complementation’.  These verbals take the form of to _____ (Full Infinitives) or _____ing (usually Gerunds). Which of the two forms you use may depend on the verb that comes before it. Normally, you’d have to take into account a very long list of verbs for either form, but Insights to English has narrowed those verbs into groups and has found patterns for when to use the to _____ form and when to use the _____ing form.

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'After Certain Verbs' by Group

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Participle Adjectives

Participle Adjectives, also called ‘-ing and –ed Adjectives’, are words taken from verbs that now modify nouns. Suppose you start with an action verb. To show how a noun enacts that verb, we can give that noun an adjective. Simply take the verb and add –ing to the end of it, and now it’s an Active Adjective. To show instead how a different noun is affected by the verb, you can give that noun a Passive Adjective by adding –ed or –en to the end of the verb (unless its irregular).

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Summary of Passive & Active Adjectives

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Irregular Verbs by Group

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Bonus Notes

Beyond the Videos

Posters & Handouts

Bonus Notes

Slideshow Versions