Grammar Lesson 16

• Vocab:

• Crim-the Latin root means fault, crime, or accusation

• To incriminate is to show evidence of involvement in a crime

• A recrimination is a counter accusation

Verbals: the Gerund as a Subject

• A verbal is a verb form that does not function as a verb

• May function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb

• 3 kinds: the gerund, the infinitive, and the participle

The Gerund

• Ends in –ing and functions as a noun

• In this lesson, we will see how the gerund can be used as a subject

• To determine if a verb ending in –ing is a gerund, we must see how it is used in a sentence

• 1. find the simple predicate

• 2. find the simple subject

How to Find a Gerund

• If the –ing form of the verb is the simple subject, then the subject of the sentence is a gerund

• Example: Speech writing proved challenging.

• Notice that we diagram the gerund on a “stair-step” line above the base on “stilts”