Gerunds
A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing and functions as what part of speech?
A noun
A participle is a verb form that functions as what part of speech? What two common endings do participles have?
A participle functions as an Adjective. The two common endings are -ing (for present participles) and -ed, -en, or another past tense form (for past participles).
An infinitive is the base form of a verb usually preceded by the word "to." What three different parts of speech can an infinitive function as in a sentence?
A Noun, an Adjective, or an Adverb.
What does parallel structure (or parallelism) mean in grammar?
A. Using very long, complicated sentences.
B. Using similar grammatical patterns to express ideas of equal importance.
C. Writing only simple, short sentences.
B. Using similar grammatical patterns to express ideas of equal importance (e.g., using all nouns, all gerunds, or all infinitive phrases in a list).
Besides the Beatles, this boy band was the most popular group in 1967
The Monkees
In which of the following sentences is the word "running" used as a gerund?
A. The running water made a peaceful sound.
B. Running is my favorite form of exercise.
C. He was running late for class.
B. Running is my favorite form of exercise. (It functions as the subject of the sentence).
In which of the following sentences is the word "broken" used as a participle?
A. The vase was broken by the clumsy cat.
B. The broken vase lay on the floor.
C. They had broken the news to their parents.
The broken vase lay on the floor. (The word broken modifies the noun vase).
In which of the following sentences is "to school" an infinitive? If it is not an infinitive, what is it?
A. She walked her dog to school.
B. She decided to school herself in a new language.
B. to school is an infinitive functioning as the direct object. In Sentence A, to school is a prepositional phrase (where "to" is a preposition).
Which of the following sentences uses correct parallel structure?
A. My chores include cleaning my room, doing the laundry, and to wash the dishes.
B. My chores include cleaning my room, doing the laundry, and washing the dishes.
B. My chores include cleaning my room, doing the laundry, and washing the dishes. (It uses three gerunds.)
The year 1967 saw the first Super Bowl, and this team won it, beating the Kansas City Chiefs.
Green Bay Packers
Identify the gerund in the following sentence and state its function:
"She has always enjoyed painting landscapes."
The gerund is painting. Its function is the Direct Object of the verb "enjoyed."
Identify the participle in the following sentence and state whether it is a Present or Past participle:
"The crying baby immediately quieted down when his mother held him."
The participle is crying. It is a Present participle. (It modifies the noun baby).
Identify the entire infinitive phrase in the following sentence and state its function:
"To finish the race was the primary goal of the exhausted runner."
The infinitive phrase is To finish the race. Its function is the Subject of the sentence
Correct the error in parallel structure in the following sentence:
"The best ways to relax are to read a book, to listen to music, and taking a long walk."
The best ways to relax are to read a book, to listen to music, and to take a long walk.
This is the number of countries that signed the original Treaty of Rome in 1957, establishing the European Economic Community (EEC).
6
Identify the entire gerund phrase in the sentence below, and state its function:
"The team's failure to prepare adequately resulted in them losing the final match."
The gerund phrase is losing the final match. Its function is the Object of the Preposition "in."
Identify the entire participial phrase in the sentence below, and state the noun it modifies:
"The student, stunned by the low grade, decided to ask the teacher for help."
The participial phrase is stunned by the low grade. It modifies the noun student.
Identify the infinitive phrase in the following sentence and state what word it modifies (explaining why the action was done):
"He opened the window to let in fresh air."
The infinitive phrase is to let in fresh air. It functions as an Adverb, modifying the verb opened.
Rewrite the following sentence using parallel structure after the coordinating conjunction "and."
"The report was helpful not only because it was informative but also it was persuasive."
The report was helpful not only because it was informative but also because it was persuasive.
What day and year was America officially founded?
July 4, 1776
Correct the error in the following sentence:
"Everyone was surprised by him singing so loudly at the concert."
Everyone was surprised by his singing so loudly at the concert.
Explanation: When a noun or pronoun immediately precedes a gerund (like "singing"), it should be in the possessive case (e.g., his, their, Anna's), not the objective case (him, them, Anna). The gerund acts like a noun, and the possessive word modifies it.
The following sentence contains a common error called a dangling participle. Rewrite the sentence to correct the error:
"Walking to the bus stop, the umbrella flew out of my hand."
Walking to the bus stop, I dropped my umbrella. (or) The umbrella flew out of my hand as I was walking to the bus stop.
Explanation: In the original sentence, the phrase "Walking to the bus stop" seems to modify the umbrella, which doesn't make logical sense. The corrected sentence clearly shows that I was the one performing the action of walking.
The following sentence contains an error. Rewrite the sentence, removing the incorrect word, to make it grammatically correct:
"The mechanic helped me to fix the broken engine."
The mechanic helped me fix the broken engine. (or) The mechanic helped fix the broken engine.
Explanation: After certain verbs like help, let, and make (used in the sense of 'cause'), the "to" is often omitted, resulting in a bare infinitive (fix) as the complement.
Rewrite the following sentence to achieve correct parallel structure in the comparison:
"I enjoy hiking in the mountains more than when I run on the treadmill."
I enjoy hiking in the mountains more than running on the treadmill.
Explanation: To make a valid comparison, the two items being compared ("hiking" and "running") must be in the same grammatical form (in this case, both gerunds).
What element is number 67 on the periodic table?
Holmium