Name: _____________________________________

Verb Phrases, Verbs of Being, and Gerunds

Directions: Underline the verbs and verb phrases, and circle the gerunds.  Some sentences have more than one verb / verb phrase.  Not every sentence has a gerund.  

Verb: word expressing an action or existence.
Verb Phrase: helping verb (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, has, have, had, etc.) + action verb.
Gerund: noun form of a verb (has “ing” but is not connected to a helping verb).

Example of a verb phrase:  I am learning. 		Example of a gerund: Learning is fun.

1.  I ate a sandwich.					2.  I will be eating a sandwich.

3.  Eating sandwiches makes me tired.		4.  I like eating sandwiches.

5.  We read a book.					6.  We may have been reading a book.

7.  We might be reading books.			8.   My favorite subject is reading.   

9.  Reading opens doors to new worlds.		10. Skiers often have fun.

11.  Skiing can be dangerous.				12.  Jan and her mom made cookies.

13.  Making cookies is easy and delicious. 		14.  Jan poured in the sugar and stirred the dough.

15.  Smiling, Mom measured out the vanilla. 	16.  Jan and Mom ate cookies and drank milk.

17.  I was playing video games.			18.  I like playing video games.

19.  Playing video games is time consuming.		20.  Mom is going on vacation.

21.  I will be alone.					22.  Being alone can be scary.

23.  My house is a long way from here.		24.  Walking home is not an option.

25.  I am hungry and tired, so it's time to go home.	26.  I might get in trouble if I call Mom.

27.  Calling Dad is a better option.			28.  My brother is home from college.

29.  Studying at night puts me to sleep.		30.  Doing all of the assignment is important.

Try it yourself: 
On the back of this paper, write three sentences with verb phrases and underline your phrases.  Then, write three sentences with gerunds and circle your gerunds.