Page 80 - English Grammar - 8

Infinitives

An infinitive is a verb form that acts as the other part of speech in a sentence. It is formed
with to + the base form of the verb.
For example: to sing, to draw, etc.
An infinitive can be used as:

 an object of a verb. For example:
Jerry likes to run.
O
 a subject at the beginning of a sentence. For example:
To visit Timbuktu is my plan this winter.
O
 an adverb modifying a verb. For example:

He went to the US to study medicine.
O
 an adjective modifying a noun. For example:

Arjun has the talent to compete till the end.
O
Gerund

A gerund is a verb, in its -ing (present participle) form, that functions as a noun. It names an
activity rather than a person or a thing. Any action verb can be made into a gerund.
It can appear at the beginning of a sentence when used as a subject. For example:
Stitching is a passion for me.
O
It can act as an object of a verb. For example:
I love swimming.
O
It can serve as an object of a preposition. For example:
She is good at painting.
O
It can come after certain verbs or verb phrases. For example:

She hates putting mustard in her dishes.
O
Participles
Non-finite Verbs
A participle is a form of a verb that is partly a verb and partly an adjective. It can be used in
a sentence to modify a noun or noun phrase.
There are two kinds of participles: present participle and past participle. Apart from these,
there is also the perfect participle.

Present Participle

The present participle is the -ing form of a verb. It acts both as an adjective and verb in a
sentence. For example:
He was practising the guitar last night.
O
We welcome practising lawyers.
O
In the first sentence, the word practising is acting as a verb, and in the second sentence
practising is acting as a participle.

78