Verbals Worksheets

Print worksheet gives 8 sentences, each with one verbal in brackets: circle gerund, participle or infinitive.

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Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.VerbalsWhistling helps me think. (Whistling)gerundparticipleinfinitiveIt is fun to build forts. (to build)participleinfinitivegerundThey stopped to tie their shoes. (to tie)infinitiveparticiplegerundWe ate the baked potatoes. (baked)infinitiveparticiplegerundA fallen tree blocked the trail. (fallen)gerundinfinitiveparticipleI chose to walk home. (to walk)participlegerundinfinitiveThe letter, sealed with wax, sat on the desk. (sealed)infinitiveparticiplegerundWe need more chairs to seat everyone. (to seat)infinitiveparticiplegerund
Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.VerbalsAnswer keyWhistling helps me think. (Whistling)gerundparticipleinfinitiveIt is fun to build forts. (to build)participleinfinitivegerundThey stopped to tie their shoes. (to tie)infinitiveparticiplegerundWe ate the baked potatoes. (baked)infinitiveparticiplegerundA fallen tree blocked the trail. (fallen)gerundinfinitiveparticipleI chose to walk home. (to walk)participlegerundinfinitiveThe letter, sealed with wax, sat on the desk. (sealed)infinitiveparticiplegerundWe need more chairs to seat everyone. (to seat)infinitiveparticiplegerund
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All 165 sentences

Gerund, participle, infinitive 100

  • A buzzing fly circled the lamp. (buzzing)
  • A fallen tree blocked the trail. (fallen)
  • A falling leaf landed on my book. (falling)
  • A flashing light warned the drivers. (flashing)
  • A forgotten umbrella hung on the hook. (forgotten)
  • After eating, we took a walk. (eating)
  • The baby is learning to wave. (to wave)
  • Baking takes patience. (Baking)
  • The barking beagle woke the whole street. (barking)
  • Before leaving, lock the door. (leaving)
  • The best way to learn a song is to sing it. (to learn)
  • The bird began to sing at dawn. (to sing)
  • The boy holding the kite is my cousin. (holding)
  • The broken vase lay on the floor. (broken)
  • Camping was the best part of our summer. (Camping)
  • Climbing tires my legs. (Climbing)
  • Covered in mud, the dog shook itself. (Covered)
  • The crying toddler dropped his spoon. (crying)
  • Dad promised to fix my bike. (to fix)
  • The frozen peas rattled in the bag. (frozen)
  • Gardening keeps my grandmother busy. (Gardening)
  • The geese flying south honked loudly. (flying)
  • The girl wearing the red hat scored twice. (wearing)
  • The glowing coals lit our faces. (glowing)
Show all 165 sentences (141 more)

Gerund, participle, infinitive, continued

  • Grandpa likes to tell riddles. (to tell)
  • He left without saying goodbye. (saying)
  • He offered to carry the groceries. (to carry)
  • He scraped the burnt toast. (burnt)
  • He sprinted to catch the ferry. (to catch)
  • Her favorite part of art class is sketching. (sketching)
  • His weekend chore is sweeping. (sweeping)
  • I am not afraid of diving. (diving)
  • I am tired of waiting. (waiting)
  • I chose to walk home. (to walk)
  • I forgot to water the fern. (to water)
  • I miss sledding with my cousins. (sledding)
  • I need a pen to sign the card. (to sign)
  • I taped the torn page. (torn)
  • I want to learn the guitar. (to learn)
  • I would love to see a comet. (to see)
  • It is fun to build forts. (to build)
  • It is time to feed the fish. (to feed)
  • Juggling looks easy until you try it. (Juggling)
  • The kitten tried to climb the curtain. (to climb)
  • Laughing loudly, the twins ran inside. (Laughing)
  • Leo avoided stepping in the puddle. (stepping)
  • The letter, sealed with wax, sat on the desk. (sealed)
  • The map showed a hidden door. (hidden)
  • The melting snow dripped from the roof. (melting)
  • Mia suggested hiking to the falls. (hiking)
  • Mom stopped at the store to buy eggs. (to buy)
  • My grandfather enjoys fishing. (fishing)
  • My hobby is knitting. (knitting)
  • My sister plans to study frogs. (to study)
  • Our dog loves digging. (digging)
  • The painted fence gleamed in the sun. (painted)
  • Painting relaxes my aunt. (Painting)
  • The puppy refused to budge. (to budge)
  • Recycling saves space at the dump. (Recycling)
  • The rising sun lit the hills. (rising)
  • The roaring fire warmed the cabin. (roaring)
  • The scouts discussed building a raft. (building)
  • She drank from the chipped mug. (chipped)
  • She has a book to read. (to read)
  • She is good at drawing. (drawing)
  • She practices dribbling every day. (dribbling)
  • She raised her hand to ask a question. (to ask)
  • She saved her allowance to get a telescope. (to get)
  • She soothed the shivering kitten. (shivering)
  • She warmed up by stretching. (stretching)
  • Skating scares my little brother. (Skating)
  • Spilled milk covered the counter. (Spilled)
  • Swimming is the sport I like best. (Swimming)
  • The team needs a place to practice. (to practice)
  • Thanks for helping with the dishes. (helping)
  • They built a ramp to reach the porch. (to reach)
  • They stopped to tie their shoes. (to tie)
  • They won by working together. (working)
  • To finish the mural will take a week. (To finish)
  • To skate backward takes balance. (To skate)
  • To whisper in a library is polite. (To whisper)
  • To win was the team's one wish. (To win)
  • The twins stopped arguing. (arguing)
  • Typing gets faster with practice. (Typing)
  • Wagging its tail, the puppy ran to the gate. (Wagging)
  • We ate the baked potatoes. (baked)
  • We finished packing before noon. (packing)
  • We followed the winding path. (winding)
  • We got up early to watch the sunrise. (to watch)
  • We have a lot of leaves to rake. (to rake)
  • We hope to visit the canyon. (to visit)
  • We need more chairs to seat everyone. (to seat)
  • We saved time by sharing a ladder. (sharing)
  • We stacked the folded towels. (folded)
  • We talked about moving the tent. (moving)
  • Whistling a tune, Dad washed the car. (Whistling)
  • Whistling helps me think. (Whistling)
  • The wrapped gifts sat by the door. (wrapped)
  • Written in pencil, the note was hard to read. (Written)
  • Yawning, the bear left its den. (Yawning)

Noun, adjective or adverb 65

  • A purring cat sat on my lap. (purring)
  • The chosen song was too slow. (chosen)
  • The class lined up to board the bus. (to board)
  • The class voted for dancing. (dancing)
  • The coach praised our passing. (passing)
  • The cracked window let in the cold. (cracked)
  • Dad slowed down to read the sign. (to read)
  • The dog scratched the door to get out. (to get)
  • The dripping faucet kept us awake. (dripping)
  • The first person to arrive gets the front seat. (to arrive)
  • Fishing calms my uncle. (Fishing)
  • He ate the sliced peaches. (sliced)
  • He closed the window to keep out the rain. (to keep)
  • He has chores to do. (to do)
  • He is proud of his writing. (writing)
  • He jumped to catch the frisbee. (to catch)
  • He learned to juggle. (to juggle)
  • He squinted to read the tiny print. (to read)
  • Her best skill is throwing. (throwing)
  • Her wish is to travel. (to travel)
  • The hikers stopped to rest. (to rest)
  • I hope to win. (to win)
  • I ran to the window to see the snow. (to see)
  • I stood on a stool to reach the shelf. (to reach)
  • I thanked her for waiting. (waiting)
  • I woke up early to finish my model. (to finish)
  • It was time to leave. (to leave)
  • The man waving the flag is the starter. (waving)
  • My brother enjoys cooking. (cooking)
  • My goal is to finish. (to finish)
  • The polished floor shone. (polished)
  • The puppy sat up to beg. (to beg)
  • The puppy wants to play. (to play)
  • The puzzle, finished at last, covered the table. (finished)
  • Reading fills our rainy afternoons. (Reading)
  • Running makes my heart pound. (Running)
  • Sewing is harder than it looks. (Sewing)
  • She bent down to pet the cat. (to pet)
  • She caught the bouncing ball. (bouncing)
  • She has a promise to keep. (to keep)
  • She practiced every day to make the team. (to make)
  • She quit biting her pencil. (biting)
  • She saved her dimes to buy skates. (to buy)
  • Singing cheers up the whole bus. (Singing)
  • The sliding door stuck again. (sliding)
  • Smiling, Grandma opened the gift. (Smiling)
  • The spinning top slowed down. (spinning)
  • Stacked neatly, the boxes fit in the closet. (Stacked)
  • The swept porch looked new. (swept)
  • That was a day to remember. (to remember)
  • They knelt to plant the seeds. (to plant)
  • This is the best trail to hike. (to hike)
  • To fly was the inventor's dream. (To fly)
  • To quit now would be a shame. (To quit)
  • We climbed the tower to ring the bell. (to ring)
  • We decided to stay. (to stay)
  • We found a shady place to rest. (to rest)
  • We have a letter to mail. (to mail)
  • We heard the howling wind. (howling)
  • We laughed about getting lost. (getting)
  • We love hiking in the fall. (hiking)
  • We returned the borrowed sled. (borrowed)
  • We stood to sing the anthem. (to sing)
  • We whispered to keep the baby asleep. (to keep)
  • You learn by trying. (trying)

How this list was compiled: Written for this page. A verbal is a verb form that does another job in the sentence. Every item is one sentence with one verbal repeated in brackets. In the first set the verbal is tagged gerund (an -ing form used as a noun: Whistling helps me think), participle (an -ing, -ed or -en form used as an adjective: the melting snow, the broken vase) or infinitive (to and the plain verb: to learn). In the second set the tag is the job the verbal does: noun, adjective or adverb. An -ing word that is part of the main verb (is running) is never the word in brackets, and neither is the -ing word of a compound such as swimming pool. The terms follow the Wikipedia articles Nonfinite verb, Gerund, Participle and Infinitive, read 9 October 2026. Verbals are standard L.8.1a of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, published at thecorestandards.org and read the same day. No person, brand or character is named. Licence: own work

How it works

A verbal is a verb form doing another job. A gerund is an -ing form used as a noun, a participle works as an adjective, an infinitive is to plus the plain verb. Each sentence repeats one verbal in brackets.

Read the full guide

Gerund or participle

Both can end in -ing, so ask what the word does. In Whistling helps me think, Whistling is the subject, a noun's job: gerund. In Whistling a tune, Dad washed the car, it describes Dad: participle. Participles also end in -ed or -en: the broken vase.

Noun, adjective or adverb

Under Set, the second set asks for the verbal's job. A gerund is always a noun. An infinitive can be a noun (I hope to win), an adjective (a letter to mail) or an adverb that tells why (He jumped to catch the frisbee).

  • An -ing word that is part of the main verb, as in is running, is never the word in brackets.
  • Compound words such as swimming pool and running shoes are left out.

Questions and answers

What is a verbal?

A verb form used as another part of speech. English has three kinds: gerunds (Baking takes patience), participles (the melting snow, the broken vase) and infinitives (to learn). A verbal alone cannot be the main verb of a sentence.

What grade learns gerunds, participles and infinitives?

Grade 8 in the Common Core: standard L.8.1a asks students to explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives). For a gerund worksheet in 5th grade or participle worksheets in 5th grade, the grade is our suggestion.

How do you tell a gerund from a participle?

Put the word it in its place. If the sentence still works, the -ing word is doing a noun's job: gerund (Baking takes patience; It takes patience). If the word describes a noun, it is a participle.

Is this a grammar worksheet on infinitives too?

Yes. A third of the opening set is infinitives, each with to in the brackets. The second set asks what the infinitive does: names a thing (noun), describes a noun (adjective) or tells why (adverb).

Is there an answer key?

Yes. The last page is the key, with the right choice circled under each sentence. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page under More options to print the sheet alone.

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