AboutRosemary Lenc Expertise I am a retired Middle School teacher. I am an expert in grammar (structure of the English
language) and writing. I have been a volunteer with AOL Ask A Teacher and have
submitted many articles and special collections (one on diagramming sentences and one
with worksheets and answers so students can check their own practice on grammar skills)
to their knowledge database. I still am with them but would like other work where I can
help students with their English study. I have time to help you with this, if you want me. I
can help with grade school, middle school and high school grammar & writing and can
also look up information on literature (reading) for students and help them with it.
Please let me know if I can be of help in these areas. Thank you.
Rosemary Lenc
Experience
Past/Present clients Have helped many, many students in grade school language arts, middle school and high
school grammar and writing in both the chat rooms (live help that AOL use to have) and
message board answers plus the many students i have taught as a teacher.
Expert: Rosemary Lenc Date: 1/14/2008 Subject: Ninth Grade English Class
Question Dear Mrs. Lenc,
I sure hope that you can help me because although I have a very knowledgable teacher, i have no idea how to do some of the work that she gives our class. Right now we are learning about verbals and verbal phrases. That includes participials, gerunds, infinitives and appositives. The main thing that I am having trouble with is how to identify a verbal when I am just looking at a sentence. For example we have a question that reads, "No longer dependent on streetcars and trains, the first motorists used automobiles for going on recreational and family trips." I understand infinitives. To + a verb. The ones that I have the most trouble with are appositives and participials. Please help me. I have a test in two days and I don't know if my teacher could explain this in a way that I could understand what is going on. Thank you so much and I would appreciate anything you can offer me.
Sincerely,
Tressa
Answer Dear Tressa,
I don't know when you wrote this and if I am too late to help before your test, please forgive me as I was out of town.
Verbals are forms of a verb used as another part of speech.
For example:
Gerunds end in -ed or -ing and are used as nouns in a sentence.
Example: Playing ball is good exercise.
Playing ball is the gerund phrase used as the subject in the sentence.
Participles are -ed or-ing form of verb used as an adjective.
Playing ball, the boy broke the window.
Playing ball is now known as a participial phrase because it is describing the boy...the one playing ball.
Appositives are words that follow a noun and give more meaning to the noun. They are not verbals.
John, my second boy, was very good at basketball.
"My second boy" is the appositive. It just tells more about the previous noun, John. Appositives are generally not necessary for the meaning of the noun but it does give us more information.
I have a website that will help you with verbals and all grammar.
members.cox.net/teachro/
Go to the site and click on grammar. Then you can scroll across to verbals.
