Phrases & Verbals
A phrase is a group of words that work together as one part of a sentence.
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Phrases & Verbals
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Prepositional phrase
Participle
Infinitive
Gerund
Prepositional phrase: a preposition and its object
A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with its object (a noun or pronoun), plus any words in between. It works as a single unit, usually telling where, when, or how: in the morning, under the old bridge, with great care.
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The team practiced before the big game .
From the preposition to its object: one prepositional phrase telling when.
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It starts with a preposition (in, on, under, with) and ends with a noun or pronoun.
Participle: a verb form that describes
A participle is a verbal: a verb form acting as an adjective. Present participles end in -ing; past participles usually end in -ed or -en. It modifies a noun, answering what kind or which one: the whispering wind, the broken promise.
On the line
The shattered window let in the cold .
Shattered is a verb form acting as an adjective. A participle.
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A verb form ending in -ing or -ed that describes a noun.
Infinitive: 'to' plus a verb
An infinitive is the word to plus the base form of a verb (to win, to understand). It is a verbal that can act as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb: to finish was her only goal.
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The goal was to win .
To plus a verb, acting as a noun. An infinitive.
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The word to plus the base verb: to run, to read.
Gerund: a verb form that names
A gerund is a verbal: a verb form ending in -ing that acts as a noun. It can be a subject (Swimming is fun) or an object (she enjoys reading). It looks like a present participle, but it does a noun's job, not an adjective's.
On the line
Diego enjoys hiking .
Hiking names an activity and is the object. A gerund.
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A verb form ending in -ing that does a noun's job, naming an activity.
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