For this exercise please tell us whether the underlined words (all verbals) are either a/an: (a) gerund

(b) participle (c) infinitive.

a. Dreaming about success won’t guarantee it.
b. Helen wants to become a famous screenwriter.
c. Hiding in the underbrush, the lion spotted the gazelle.
d. To dream the impossible dream is not always a foolish exercise.
e. The professor enjoyed challenging her students to improve.
f. Now it’s time to turn to exercising our brains.
g. Losing the election does not seem to be an option now.
h. Briefly losing her bearings, she quickly shook off her mental fog and headed north.
i. Branded a coward by his former friends, he set out to prove them wrong.
j. Reaching out a paw, the cat touched its owner's face.

Answers/Analysis:a.
Gerund. See “Verbals,” page 46: Gerunds always end in –ing; they “have the feel of action but
serve only as the subject or object in a sentence. . . Remember: Gerunds are always nouns.”
b. Infinitive. See “Verbals,” page 47: Infinitives are “formed by to plus (in most cases) the present
tense of a verb. Infinitives generally are easy to identify; their role as a noun, adjective or adv,
however, is not always so easy to determine.”
c. Participle. See “Verbals,” page 47: Participles “have either an –ing or –ed ending and are
always used as adjectives. As an adjective . . . , the participle generally will modify (give extra
meaning to) a noun or a pronoun.”
d. Infinitive. See “Verbals,” page 47: Infinitives are “formed by to plus (in most cases) the present
tense of a verb. Infinitives generally are easy to identify; their role as a noun, adjective or adv,
however, is not always so easy to determine.”
e. Gerund. See “Verbals,” page 46: Gerunds always end in –ing; they “have the feel of action but
serve only as the subject or object in a sentence. . . Remember: Gerunds are always nouns.”
f. Gerund. See “Verbals,” page 46: Gerunds always end in –ing; they “have the feel of action but
serve only as the subject or object in a sentence. . . Remember: Gerunds are always nouns.”
g. Gerund. See “Verbals,” page 46: Gerunds always end in –ing; they “have the feel of action but
serve only as the subject or object in a sentence. . . Remember: Gerunds are always nouns.”
h. Participle. See “Verbals,” page 47: Participles “have either an –ing or –ed ending and are
always used as adjectives. As an adjective . . . , the participle generally will modify (give extra meaning to) a noun or a pronoun.”
i. Participle. See “Verbals,” page 47: Participles “have either an –ing or –ed ending and are
always used as adjectives. As an adjective . . . , the participle generally will modify (give extra
meaning to) a noun or a pronoun.”
j. Participle. See “Verbals,” page 47: Participles “have either an –ing or –ed ending and are
always used as adjectives. As an adjective . . . , the participle generally will modify (give extra
meaning to) a noun or a pronoun.”