Question

In the sentence 'His greatest joy is
gardening,' what is the function of
a) Subject
b) Direct Object











the gerund gardening? c) Predicate Nominative
d) Adjective
2. Which sentence uses an infinitive as
an adverb to explain why an action
was performed?
a) To study requires a lot of focus.
b) I have many chores to do today.
c) He practiced every day to improve his
skill.
d) To be honest is always the best policy.
3. Identify the past participle
functioning as a modifier in this
sentence: 'The frozen lake sparkled
under the winter sun.'
a) sparkled
b) frozen
c) winter
d) under
4. What is the difference between the
verbal in 'I love singing' and 'The
singing bird'?
a) The first is a gerund; the second is a
participle.
b) The first is a participle; the second is a
gerund.
c) Both are gerunds acting as nouns.
d) Both are participles acting as adjectives.
￿ Final Check: Remember, a verbal looks like a verb but refuses to act like one! Always
ask yourself: Is this word acting as a noun (thing), an adjective (describer), or an adverb
(reason why)?

Answer 1

1) c) Predicate Nominative — "gardening" is a gerund (noun) that renames the subject after the copula "is."

2) c) He practiced every day to improve his skill. — "to improve his skill" is an infinitive of purpose (adverbial), telling why he practiced.

3) b) frozen — "frozen" is a past participle modifying "lake."

4) a) The first is a gerund; the second is a participle — "singing" in "I love singing" is a noun (gerund, object); in "the singing bird" it’s a present participle acting as an adjective.