In additional to independent clauses, most sentences, at least those classified as compound or complex, contain one or more subordinate word groups. These subordinate word groups include prepositional phrases, subordinate clauses, appositive words or phrases, absolute phrases, adjective or adverb clauses, gerund phrases, and, late but not least, verbal phrases. Although all these word groups play important roles in a sentence’s structure, the focus of this article is the verbal phrase.
The Verbal and Its Role in Sentence Structure
A verb is a word that expresses either action (walk, run, jump, think, defend, etc.) or being (is, am, become, seems, etc.), and the main verb in a sentence is often preceded by one or more helping verbs (has, do, does, were, be, etc.). A verbal, however, is a verb form that does not function as an actual verb but instead functions as a noun, adverb, or adjective.
- Gaining success is the sweetest revenge. (Noun)
- Tom is destined to succeed. (Adverb)
- Defended lines are less apt to fall to an enemy invasion. (Adjective)
The Three Different Types of Verbals
There are three kinds of verbals in the English language:
- Present participle: The base form of a verb plus “ing”, for example, building, dreaming, thinking, defending, growing, etc.
- Past participle: The base form of a verb plus “d, ed, t, n, or en”, for example, built, dreamed, thought, defended, grown, etc.
- Infinitive: The word “to” plus the base form of a verb, for example, to build, to dream, to think, to defend, to grow, etc.
Verbal Phrases and Their Role in Sentence Structure
Like verbs, verbals can receive direct objects, modifiers, and complements, and when combined with other words, verbals become verbal phrases, for instance:
- Tom wants to be a best-selling author. (The verbal phrase is the direct object of the verb “wants”.)
- Finding a publisher for his first novel is Tom’s main goal in life. (The verbal phrase is the subject of the verb “is”.)
- Tom’s main goal in life is finding a publisher for his first novel. (The phrase is the complement of the subject “goal”.)
Participial Phrases, Infinitive Phrases, and Gerund Phrases
Verbal phrases include participial phrases, infinitive phrases, and gerund phrases.
Participial phrases function only as adjectives modifying nouns or pronouns, and gerund phrases function only as nouns acting as subjects, direct objects, objects of prepositions, or subject complements.
- Participial phrase: Being a critical thinker, Tom believes he can find a solution to every dilemma, however complex it might be. (The phrase is an adjective modifying Tom.)
- Gerund phrase: Becoming a best-selling author is Tom’s dream. (The phrase is a noun acting as the subject of the sentence.)
Infinitive phrases, on the other hand, are more adaptable since they can function either as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
- Tom thought, “To quit my job or not to quit, that is the question.” (Noun)
- Tom believes he has an obligation to share his considerable talent with the world. (Adjective)
- Tom would give anything to become a best-selling author. (Adverb)
In summary, there are three different categories of verbals in the English language, each has a specific role within the structure of a sentence, and learning the function of each type can give a writer an advantage when it comes to constructing sentences that are grammatically and structurally correct.
Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
