by messi10 Thu May 26, 2011 9:43 am
Hi,
Ok, I will explain using some examples but I think if you do not understand verbals from chapter 13 then you may have to go a step back and understand the basic parts of a sentence.
Very simply put, a verbal is a noun, adjective or an adverb formed from a verb. I will use an example from the book:
I love to swim.
Here, the infinitive (to + swim) is the object of the main verb "love". "I" is the subject. As you may know, nouns that are subjects generally perform an action in the sentence. Objects receive the action. They are generally followed by verbs. In this sentence, "to swim" forms the object of the verb love.
Now, an example where swim is not a verbal but a simple verb:
Fishes swim in water.
This is a simple sentence whose subject is "fishes" and "swim" is the verb i.e. the action that the subject performs.
Remember, the subject is usually what the sentence is about, the verb tells what the subject does or is, and the object receives the action of the verb.
I suggest that you give Verbals another try but make sure you understand subject, object, verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs etc beforehand. By understanding these, I mean that you should be able to see a sentence and point out what these are in that sentence.
There are some good sites on the web that define parts of a speech and parts of a sentence. If you need recommendations, let me know
Hope this helps
Regards
Sunil