Verbals Activity
Verbals Activity
Identifying Verbals
Directions: In the following paragraph, verbals are underlined. Above each of these words, identify what kind of
verbal it is—gerund, participle, or infinitive.
Tiffany, bored with the usual presents, asked for a pet for her birthday. Walking a dog of her own had been her
dream for a long time. A poodle puppy wagging its tail in a pet store caught her eye. Hoping for this pet, Tiffany
went to the store every day to look at the beloved pup. On her birthday, Tiffany and her mom hurried to the store
to buy the poodle. Tiffany named the excited puppy Inglebert, which means “unusually intelligent.” Playing fetch
and teaching Inglebert new tricks now take up much of Tiffany’s time.
II. For each of the following sentences, Encircle the verbals and decide whether it is a participle, gerund, or
infinitive. Write a “P” over the word or phrase if it is a participle, a “G” if the word or phrase is a gerund an “I” if the
word or phrase is an infinitive.
5. George Burns once said, “Happiness is shaving a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
7. Woody Allen once said, “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not
dying.”
8. Woody Allen once said, “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not
dying.”
9. Gore Vidal once said, “It is not enough to succeed. Other must fail.”