1. Participles:
* Present Participles: End in "-ing" (e.g., "running," "swimming," "singing").
* As Nouns: "Running is good exercise." ("Running" is the subject)
* As Adjectives: "The running water was refreshing." ("Running" describes the water)
* Past Participles: Often end in "-ed" or "-en" (e.g., "painted," "broken," "written").
* As Adjectives: "The broken vase was a mess." ("Broken" describes the vase)
* As Nouns: "The wounded were taken to the hospital." ("Wounded" functions as the noun)
2. Gerunds:
* End in "-ing" (e.g., "dancing," "singing," "writing").
* Always function as nouns: "Dancing is my favorite hobby." ("Dancing" is the subject)
* Often have object: "I enjoy writing poems." ("Poems" is the object of the gerund)
3. Infinitives:
* Consist of "to" + verb (e.g., "to eat," "to sleep," "to write").
* As Nouns: "To learn is important." ("To learn" is the subject)
* As Adjectives: "I have a desire to travel." ("To travel" modifies "desire")
* As Adverbs: "I went to the store to buy milk." ("To buy milk" tells why I went to the store)
Characteristics Retained from Verbs:
* Tense: Participles can indicate past or present time (e.g., "painted" vs. "painting").
* Transitive/Intransitive: Some verbals can take objects (e.g., "writing a letter" is transitive, "running" is intransitive).
* Voice: Participles can be active or passive (e.g., "painting" vs. "painted").
Examples:
* Noun: "Swimming is a great way to stay fit." (Gerund as subject)
* Adjective: "The stolen car was recovered." (Past participle as adjective)
* Adverb: "I went to the park to relax." (Infinitive as adverb of purpose)
Understanding verbals allows for greater flexibility in sentence structure and adds variety to your writing.