English Language Arts · 8th Grade · Language and Style · Weeks 19-27

Grammar: Verbals (Gerunds, Participles, Infinitives)

Students will identify and correctly use gerunds, participles, and infinitives in sentences to add variety and precision.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.a

About This Topic

Verbals, the grammatical category that includes gerunds, participles, and infinitives, give eighth grade writers access to more flexible and precise sentence structures than simple subject-verb-object constructions allow. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.a specifically requires students to explain the function of verbals in general and their function in particular sentences. The challenge is that all three forms look like verbs but function differently: gerunds act as nouns, participles as adjectives, and infinitives as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs depending on context.

Misidentifying verbals is one of the most common grammar errors at this level, partly because the same word form can function differently in different sentences. 'Swimming' in 'Swimming is good exercise' (gerund) is different from 'swimming' in 'The swimming dolphin leaped' (participle), even though the word form is identical. Students need multiple exposures in varied contexts to develop reliable recognition.

Active learning works well for verbal instruction because the abstract rule becomes concrete when students manipulate sentences, sort examples, and write their own. Grammar games, sentence combining challenges, and peer editing protocols that focus specifically on verbal use build the pattern recognition and production skills that isolated grammar exercises rarely achieve.

Key Questions

1. Differentiate between a gerund and a participle in a given sentence.
2. Construct sentences that effectively use infinitives to express purpose or intention.
3. Explain how the misuse of a verbal can lead to grammatical errors or unclear meaning.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the function of gerunds, participles, and infinitives within given sentences.
• Differentiate between gerunds and participles based on their grammatical roles as nouns or adjectives.
• Construct sentences using infinitives to clearly express purpose or intent.
• Analyze sentences for potential grammatical errors or unclear meaning caused by misidentified or misused verbals.
• Create original sentences that effectively employ all three types of verbals for stylistic variety.

Before You Start

Parts of Speech: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs

Why: Students must understand the basic functions of these word classes to grasp how verbals adapt these roles.

Sentence Structure: Subjects, Verbs, Objects

Why: Understanding basic sentence components is essential for identifying where verbals fit and how they modify or replace these elements.

Key Vocabulary

verbal	A verb form that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb. The three types are gerunds, participles, and infinitives.
gerund	A verbal ending in -ing that functions as a noun. It can be a subject, object, or complement in a sentence.
participle	A verbal that functions as an adjective. Present participles end in -ing, and past participles often end in -ed or -en.
infinitive	The base form of a verb, usually preceded by 'to.' It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

If a word ends in '-ing,' it is always a gerund.

What to Teach Instead

Words ending in '-ing' can be gerunds (nouns), present participles (adjectives or parts of progressive verb phrases), or progressive verbs. The function in the sentence determines the classification, not the form. Students learn this most effectively by substituting a concrete noun for the '-ing' word: if the substitution makes sense ('Exercise is good for you' for 'Swimming is good for you'), it is functioning as a gerund.

Common Misconception

Infinitives are always formed with 'to' and are always nouns.

What to Teach Instead

Infinitives can function as nouns ('To succeed is the goal'), adjectives ('This is the book to read'), or adverbs ('She studied hard to pass'). The 'to' can also be implied rather than stated in some constructions. Students benefit from seeing all three functions with clear examples before being asked to identify infinitives in complex sentences independently.

Active Learning Ideas

Inquiry Circle: Verbal Function Sort

Small groups receive 18 sentence strips, six gerunds, six participles, and six infinitives, and sort them into three labeled categories. For each sentence, they must identify not just the verbal but its grammatical function: 'acting as a noun,' 'modifying a noun,' 'expressing purpose.' Groups that disagree must resolve their disagreement by referring to a specific grammatical principle.

35 min·Small Groups

Practice Game: Verbal Speed Challenge

In pairs, students alternate writing sentences that use a specific verbal type correctly: one partner writes a gerund sentence, the other a participle sentence, back and forth as quickly as possible for five minutes. They then review their list together, checking each sentence and correcting any misidentified verbals. The pair with the most correctly categorized sentences shares their best examples.

20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Dangling Participle Detection

Present pairs with five sentences containing dangling or misplaced participles ('Running to catch the bus, my backpack fell open'). Pairs identify what is wrong with each sentence, explain what the participle appears to modify versus what it should modify, and rewrite the sentence correctly. Discussion surfaces the principle that participial phrases must be placed next to the noun they modify.

25 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Journalists and editors use precise language, including varied sentence structures with verbals, to ensure clarity and engagement in news articles and feature stories.
• Technical writers crafting user manuals and instructions rely on infinitives to clearly state the purpose of actions or the intended outcome of steps.
• Screenwriters and novelists employ verbals to add descriptive detail with participles and to create varied sentence rhythms, enhancing the reader's or viewer's experience.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with a worksheet containing 10 sentences. For each sentence, ask them to identify any verbals, label them as gerund, participle, or infinitive, and state their function (noun, adjective, adverb).

Discussion Prompt

Present two sentences where a word like 'running' or 'to read' is used differently. Ask students: 'How does the function of 'running' change between these two sentences? What makes it a gerund in one and a participle in the other?'

Peer Assessment

Students write three sentences: one using a gerund, one a participle, and one an infinitive. They then exchange papers with a partner. Each partner checks if the verbals are correctly identified and used, providing one specific suggestion for improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest way to tell a gerund from a participle?

Check the function in the sentence, not the form. A gerund acts as a noun: it can be the subject, object, or complement of a sentence. A participle acts as an adjective: it modifies a noun. Try substituting a concrete noun for the '-ing' word. If the sentence still makes grammatical sense, the '-ing' word is functioning as a gerund. If substituting an adjective works better, it is likely a participle.

Why do students need to know verbal forms if their writing already sounds natural?

Students who understand verbals can use them intentionally to add sentence variety and precision rather than by accident. Knowing that a participial phrase modifies the nearest noun prevents dangling modifier errors that weaken professional writing. Verbal fluency also directly supports reading comprehension of complex texts, where participial phrases and gerund phrases frequently appear in academic and literary prose.

What is a dangling participle and how do I explain it to 8th graders?

A dangling participle occurs when a participial phrase does not clearly and logically modify the noun immediately following it. 'Exhausted from practice, the couch looked inviting' is a classic example: the couch was not exhausted. The participle phrase dangles because the person it should modify (the student) is missing from the sentence. Show students the unintentionally funny reading a dangling modifier creates, which makes the principle memorable.

How does active learning improve verbal identification and usage?

Verbal forms require pattern recognition across many examples, which develops through practice and exposure rather than rule memorization. Sorting activities build recognition speed. Sentence writing challenges build production fluency. Peer review focused specifically on verbal use creates an authentic editing context. Students who practice verbals actively in multiple formats make far fewer dangling modifier and misidentification errors than those who learn the rules passively.