Name: ____________________

Gerunds Practice
Gerunds are verbs that serve as nouns. A gerund always ends in ing.
Directions: underline the verb in each sentence. Then circle the gerund. On the line indicate
whether the gerund is part of the subject or the predicate.
1. ____p____ Some people keep Valentines Day by sending heart-shaped cards to friends.
2. ___s_____ Sharing Valentines with others can brighten a wintery February day.
3. ________ The custom of celebrating Valentines Day stretches back a long way.
4. ________ Celebrating Easter is another thing people do in the spring.
5. ________ Coloring eggs is an activity that my family participates in during Easter.
6. ________ Easter is often associated with the blooming of spring flowers.
7. ________ In Christian traditions, Easter marks the rising of Jesus from the dead.
8. ________ At the same time as Easter, Jews observe Passover by preparing a special meal.
9. ________ Jews remember the flight of their ancestors by eating the special foods.
10. ________ Playing jokes on people seems a strange way to celebrate a holiday.
11. ________ However, exchanging gag gifts was a custom in France that grew into our April
Fools Day.
12. ________ A lesser known spring holiday is dedicated to planting trees-Arbor Day.
13. ________ Various states enjoy observing Arbor Day any time from December to May.
14. ________ Most people would agree that respecting mothers is important every day of the year.
15. ________ In 1914 Congress approved reserving a specific day for mothers.

Verbals #1
Name:______________________________ Per:______
Quick Terms Review:
Verb
Gerund
Word that shows
Verb acting like a
action or state of
noun
being
I am walking to
school

Walking is good
exercise

Infinitive

Participle
Verb acting like an
adjective

I am able to walk with

you

The walking children

are heading home.

A verb form that beings

with to and can be an
adjective, noun, or
adverb

Directions: Identify the underlined word as gerund (G), infinitive (I), participle (P)
or verb (V).
1.
2.
3.
4.

Fred wanted to lose the game, so he could get home. __________

The losing team put up a good fight. __________
No one enjoys losing. __________
The home team was losing at the half. __________

5.
6.
7.
8.

The contractors are painting the exterior today. __________

Painting is more than a hobby to Chad. __________
To paint the house will take more than just the two of us! __________
Have you seen my painting clothes? __________

9. Our meeting at the station was surprise. __________

10.
Because she was late, Tina was unable to meet her new coworker. __________
11.
Hayes was a member of the group meeting the plane. __________
12.
You will be meeting many new people at camp. __________
13.
14.
15.
16.

Why are you reading that book? __________

Reading is my favorite thing to do Saturday morning. __________
Helga enjoys the reading club. __________
Eager to read, Martin flipped his book open quickly. __________

17.
18.
19.
20.

She whispered, be quite to the talkers during the move. __________

Mark was only able to whisper since he lost his voice. __________
The whispering child told her mother she was hungry. __________
In the darkness, all Mara heard was the whisper of her friend telling her to

run! __________

Verbals #2
Name:______________________________ Per:______
Quick Terms Review:
Verb
Word that shows action
or state of being

Gerund
Verb acting like a noun
(-ing)

Infinitive
A verb form that beings
with to and can be an
adjective, noun, or adverb

Participle
Verb acting like an
adjective

Directions: Circle the verb and underline the subject in every sentence.
1. The Judge presided over the court
2. The airport was crowded with people.
3. A free rock concert was held in the city park.
4. The trucks at the airport drop off the packages.
Directions: First, circle the verb and underline the subject. Then, identify the bolded
word as gerund (G), infinitive (I), participle (P) or verb (V).
21.
22.
23.
24.

The smiling man in the third row is my uncle. __________

Smiling makes my face hurt. __________
I smiled at the new boy. __________
I waited to smile until after she left. __________

25.

Stopping too often for bathroom breaks made our trip take forever!

__________
26.
The stopped car was blocking the road. __________
27.
I couldnt wait to stop working! __________
28.
She stopped too late. __________
Directions: identify the bolded words as a Gerund or a Participle.
29.
The laughing man in the third row is my uncle.__________________
30.
The slave was a master at telling stories. __________________
31.
Pleased by the noisy applause, the singer gave an encore.
__________________
32.
Have you heard our whistling teapot? __________________
33.
That nursery is famous for growing beautiful orchids. __________________
34.
All the candidates praise working people. __________________
35.
Taking this roundabout path was a mistake. __________________

Name: ___________________

Verbals #3
Identify the underlined word as a verb, gerund, infinitive, or participle
1. He ordered a sundae dripping with hot fudge. _______
2. The parakeets main pastime, chirping, prevents loneliness. _______
3. To have a clear schedule, Zoe needs to finish all her work the week before. _______
4. Stephanie loved excitement and dancing. _______
5. Running out of gas is a horrible experience. _______
6. That is the most economical car to buy. _______
7. Whirling on one skate, the skater executed a perfect turn. _______
8. To write takes more time than I have. _______
9. In the summer the sun, beating on the roads, melts the tar.
10.

Loving is trusting. _______

11.

Mark was taking photos of the wedding. _______

12.

Thinking quickly, she took her foot off the accelerator. _______

13.

To buy a car, it takes a great deal of money. _______

14.

The team excelled in batting and running. _______

15.

Martha loves using fancy scissors. _______

16.

Nadine told me what book to read. _______

17.

The commuters, stuck in traffic, were impatient.

18.

Aunt Frances is riding the waves in Hawaii this weekend. _______

19.

In the 1800s some miners made as much as $5,000 in a few days of panning

gold. _______
20.

Do you remember fingerpainting in kindergarten? _______

Name:______________________________ Per:______

Verbal Test
Directions: Identify the underlined word as gerund (G), infinitive (I), participle (P)
or verb (V).
36.
37.
38.
39.

Playing guitar well takes a great deal of skill. __________

The boasting guitarist claimed that he could play any song. __________
He is practicing day and night. __________
He hopes to play for a famous rock group. __________

40.
41.
42.
43.

Sara loves playing basketball. __________

However, her team struggled to make the playoffs. __________
The excited cheerleaders were always there to cheer them on! __________
Sara scored the winning basket! __________

44.
45.
46.
47.

Losing my way has been easy. __________

Taking that last roundabout was a mistake. __________
I am never going to make it there on time. __________
I cant believe I am still driving in circles! __________

48.
49.
50.
51.

Why are you running this early in the morning? __________

Running is my favorite thing to do Saturday morning. __________
Joni enjoys her new running shoes. __________
Eager to run, Martin stretches quickly. __________

52.
53.
54.
55.

Tommy plans to read the newspaper daily. __________

The reading boy ignored the teacher. __________
Reading can make people smarter. __________
I read at least 30 books a year! __________

Verbal Test #2
Name:______________________________ Per:______
Directions: Identify the underlined word as gerund (G), infinitive (I), participle (P)
or verb (V).
1.
2.
3.
4.

Fred wanted to win the game, so he could get home. __________

The winning team put up a good fight. __________
Everybody enjoys winning. __________
The home team was winning at the half. __________

5.
6.
7.
8.

Our meeting at the station was surprise. __________

Because she was late, Tina was unable to meet her new coworker. __________
Hayes was a member of the group meeting the plane. __________
You are meeting many new people at camp. __________

9. The contractors are painting the exterior today. __________

10.
Painting is more than a hobby to Chad. __________
11.
To paint the house will take more than just the two of us! __________
12.
Have you seen my painting clothes? __________
13.
14.
15.
16.

Why are you jogging that early in the morning? __________

Jogging is my favorite thing to do Saturday morning. __________
Helga enjoys the jogging club. __________
Eager to jog, Martin got dressed quickly. __________

17.
18.

She laughed at her friends joke. __________

Mark was only able to laugh quietly since the teacher was watching.

__________
19.
The laughing child couldnt catch her breath. __________
20.
In the darkness, all Mara heard was the laughing of her friends. __________