EXERCISE MAKE EACH FRAGMENT INTO A COMPLETE SENTENCE BY ADDING WOR...

10. While Sergei was calling home.

Verbals as Fragments

Most of us play more than one role in life. You may be both a student and an athlete.

Your father may be a gardener and a police officer. Your sister may be a singer and an ac-

tress. All three of you have different functions in each role. Playing two or more roles is a

familiar part of life.

Some kinds of words also play two roles. A verbal is such a word. The suffix al means

“like”; a verbal is like a verb but is not a verb. As the name suggests, it has a verb role, but

it also acts as another part of speech. There are three different kinds of verbals: participles,

gerunds, and infinitives (see Lesson 19, Part Two, pages 142–145). We now take a close

look at each of these.

A participle acts as both a verb and an adjective.

We found Darcy painting a mural.

(Painting modifies Darcy, like an adjective, and takes an object, mural,

like a verb.)

Exhausted by the heat, we all jumped into the pool.

(Exhausted modifies we, like an adjective, and in turn is modified by a

prepositional phrase, by the heat, like a verb.)

Having pitched a perfect game, Brian spoke to the reporters.

(Having pitched modifies Brian, like an adjective, and takes an object,

game, like a verb.)

A participle cannot make a complete sentence without a true verb.

NOT A SENTENCE

: Denyce jumping up and down with her diploma.

SENTENCE

: Denyce was jumping up and down with her

diploma. (The helping verb was completes the

verb.)

SENTENCE

: Denyce jumped up and down with her diploma.

NOT A SENTENCE

: Jaleel packing his gear for the rafting adventure.

SENTENCE

: Jaleel packed his gear for the rafting adventure.

SENTENCE

: Packing his gear for the rafting adventure, Jaleel

threw in a change of clothes.

For how to avoid dangling modifiers, see Lesson 19, in Part Two, page 127.

A gerund acts as both a verb and a noun.

I enjoy riding my bike early in the morning.

(Riding is the object of enjoy, like a noun. It takes an object, bike, like a

Driving a car in the city requires concentration and good nerves.

(Driving is the subject of requires, like a noun. It takes an object, car,

A gerund cannot make a complete sentence without a true verb.

NOT A SENTENCE

: Winning the soccer match with a penalty kick.

SENTENCE

: Winning the soccer match with a penalty kick

delighted the fans from Argentina.

SENTENCE

: Argentina won the soccer match with a penalty

kick.

An infinitive can act as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. An infinitive usually appears

with to.

Jeremy tried to add the solution to the glass beaker.

(To add is the object of tried, like a noun. It takes an object, solution, like

a verb.)

The first student to solve the problem gets extra credit.

(To solve modifies student, like an adjective. It has a direct object, prob-

lem, like a verb.)

We used dry kindling to start the campfire.

(To start modifies used, like an adverb. It takes an object, campfire, like a

An infinitive cannot make a complete sentence without a true verb.

NOT A SENTENCE

: To pick blackberries for a pie.

SENTENCE

: Cara decided to pick blackberries for a pie.

SENTENCE

: Cara picked blackberries for a pie.