What are verbals in language?

Verbals in language are words that originate from verbs but function as other parts of speech in a sentence. They retain some characteristics of verbs while serving different grammatical roles, such as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

For instance, gerunds, which are verb forms ending in "-ing," act as nouns (“Running is fun.”). Participles, which can also end in "-ing" or take a past participle form, are used as adjectives to modify nouns (“The barking dog woke me up.”). Infinitives, usually formed as “to + verb” (e.g., “to run,” “to eat”), can serve various grammatical purposes as well, often functioning as nouns (“I want to run.”), adjectives (“She has a paper to write.”), or adverbs (“He studies to learn.”). This multifaceted use of verbals highlights their versatility in language, making them an essential element in understanding sentence structure and the relationships between words.