Verbals: Definition & Examples
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Verbals: Definition & Examples
English includes words that look and sound like verbs but are not serving a sentence as such. You likely hear them often:
You said you like skydiving? What about cliff jumping?
The door was closed, so I couldn’t hear them—their voices were muffled.
Alexander said their plan is to escape.
Each underlined word is an example of what is known in English grammar as a verbal.
What Is a Verbal?
A verbal is a verb operating as another part of speech, such as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. A verbal also can function in different sentence roles such as subject, direct object, subject complement, and object of a preposition.
Verbals have three forms: gerunds, participles, and infinitives.
Verbals: Gerunds
Also known as a verbal noun, a gerund adds -ing to the end of a verb and becomes a noun, e.g., running, swimming, biking, hiking.
Examples
Running is Jason’s favorite form of exercise. (subject)
Yolanda would like to coach competitive swimming this summer. (direct object)
Those pumps aren’t the best shoes for biking. (object of a preposition)
Priscilla has many passions, but her main one is hiking. (subject complement)
Verbals: Participles
A participle is a past (-ed, -en) or present (-ing) form of a verb being used as an adjective, e.g., streaming, falling (present); raised, praised (past).
Examples
The team celebrated under the streaming ribbons and falling confetti.
José likes the home design with the raised roof.
Natalia’s highly praised article addressed the latest topic of local discussion.
Verbals: Infinitives
An infinitive is the base form of a verb before it is conjugated. It consists of the word to and the present form of the verb (the infinitive stem): e.g., to finish, to train, to know, to grow.
As a verbal, it can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Examples
Is this the book you want to finish? (adjective modifying book)
Roger went to the sporting complex to train. (adverb modifying went)
To know is to grow. (nouns: subject and subject complement)
What Are Verbal Phrases?
So far we have discussed the definition and function of verbals. When we add modifiers to a verbal, we create a verbal phrase.
Examples
Running two miles around the track is Jason’s favorite form of exercise.
Have you read Natalia’s article praised for its topic of local discussion?
To know yourself is to grow in yourself.
Each sentence includes a verbal with other words that add to its meaning.
A verbal phrase further can be what is referred to as an absolute verbal phrase. In this context, the phrase does not modify a specific sentence element such as a noun or a verb. Rather, the absolute verbal phrase acts as a looser modifier of the whole sentence.
Some absolute verbal phrases are casual expressions with an infinitive or a participle:
Speaking of technology, when are you finishing your robotic-lawnmower prototype?
To put it mildly, that summer dress is the most garish garment I’ve ever seen.
As you can see, each verbal phrase stands apart in its description, adding observation or interjection to the entire statement as opposed to enhancing a speech part. In this way, it serves as a type of sentence modifier.
An absolute verbal phrase might also be what’s known as a nominative absolute, which is a phrase starting with a noun or a pronoun that serves as the verbal’s subject. Nominative absolutes often identify causes or add details in a sentence and make it more formal.
His archives lost in the blaze, Charles began trying to restore what information he could from his memory.
The rain falling hard upon the waves, we began the voyage toward the uncharted island.
Hat tipped toward his nose, toothpick rolling lazily on his lip, the gunslinger stepped through the saloon’s swinging doors.
Related Topic
What Are Participles? (Including Examples and Usage)
What Is a Gerund and Why Care?
Pop Quiz
In each sentence, identify 1) the verbal or verbal phrase, 2) its form (gerund, participle, infinitive), and 3) its part of speech (noun, adverb, or adjective).
1. Listening is a valuable skill.
2. Your best bet in this situation is taking your mother’s advice.
3. This is the first of Enoch’s many awards earned with great dedication and sacrifice.
4. Tabitha has many stories to tell.
5. The young people of the savannah village walked to the makeshift schoolhouse each day to pursue their education.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. Listening is a valuable skill. gerund, noun
2. Your best bet in this situation is taking your mother’s advice. gerund, noun
3. This is the first of Enoch’s many awards earned with great dedication and sacrifice. participle, adjective
4. Tabitha has many stories to tell. infinitive, adjective
5. The young people of the village walked to the makeshift schoolhouse each day to pursue their education. infinitive, adverb
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
For a verbal phrase such as “opening her eyes,” what part of speech would a word that comes before the phrase be? Would it be an adverb or preposition? For example, “After opening her eyes, she got up from bed and began to get ready for work.” What part of speech would “after” be?
In your example sentence, “after opening her eyes” is an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying the verbs “got up” and “began.” “After” is the preposition and the gerund phrase “opening her eyes” is the object of the preposition.