What is a verbal phrase?

A verbal phrase is a linguistic structure that includes a verb and its modifiers, complements, or objects. Verbal phrases can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in a sentence, depending on their structure and placement.

There are several types of verbal phrases, including gerunds, participles, and infinitives. Gerunds are verb forms ending in -ing that function as nouns in a sentence (e.g. "Swimming is my favorite hobby"). Participles are verb forms that can function as adjectives to modify a noun (e.g. "The broken window needs to be fixed"). Infinitives are the base form of a verb preceded by "to" and can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs (e.g. "She likes to read novels").

Verbal phrases can also be modified by adverbs or adverbial phrases to provide more information about the action being performed. Overall, verbal phrases are an important component of sentence structure and can add complexity and variety to written and spoken language.