A quick review of participles, gerunds, and infinitives
Is a verbal used as a verb?
A participle always ends in "ing" or "ed", no other endings.
A gerund always ends in "ing" and is used as a noun.
Infinitives can be used in multiple ways as either: a noun, adverb, or adjective.
The children's yelling and screaming woke me up
Tracy likes to sing in the rain.
The meal was so beautiful that the guests hesitated to eat it.
Leeann decided that missing the lecture everyday was hurting her grade.
Arlene was sure the extra planning will make a difference in the end for the trip.
Succeeding is not enough; other must fail.
Hoping for this pet, Crimson went to the store every day.
Jennifer named the excited puppy Natalie, which means "joyful and pleasant to be around".