Module 9: More About Verbs - Lesson 9.6: Perfect and Passive Verbals

Lesson 9.6: Perfect and Passive Verbals

Welcome to Lesson 9.6! In this lesson, we will delve into Perfect Verbals and Passive Verbals. These are specialized forms of verbals that allow us to express more complex meanings related to time (completion) and voice (passive). Understanding these forms expands our ability to use verbals for nuanced and sophisticated communication in English.

Perfect Verbals - Expressing Completed Actions:

Perfect Verbals are verbal forms that indicate an action completed *before* another action or time. They are used to show anteriority or precedence in time. There are two main types of perfect verbals:

Perfect Gerunds: 'Having + Past Participle'
Form: Perfect gerunds are formed using 'having + past participle'. (e.g., having eaten, having finished, having seen, having studied).

Function: Perfect gerunds function as nouns, just like simple gerunds (Lesson 9.2), but they emphasize that the action was completed *before* the time of the main verb's action.

Examples - Perfect Gerunds in Sentences:
- Having finished his work, he went home. (Perfect gerund phrase 'Having finished his work' acts as a noun phrase functioning adverbially of time, but gerund itself is noun form. It indicates the completion of work *before* going home).
- She regretted having said those words. (Perfect gerund 'having said' is the object of the verb 'regretted'. It indicates that the saying of words happened *before* the regret).
- Having been a teacher for many years, he was very experienced. (Perfect gerund 'Having been a teacher...' acts as a noun phrase functioning adverbially of reason. It shows his past experience is the reason for his current experience level).
- He was proud of having won the competition. (Perfect gerund 'having won' is the object of the preposition 'of'. It shows the winning happened *before* the pride).
Notice that in each case, the perfect gerund emphasizes the completed nature of the action relative to the main clause.
Perfect Infinitives: 'To have + Past Participle'
Form: Perfect infinitives are formed using 'to have + past participle'. (e.g., to have eaten, to have finished, to have seen, to have studied).

Function: Perfect infinitives function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, just like simple infinitives (Lesson 9.3), but they indicate an action that occurred *earlier* than the time expressed by the main verb.

Examples - Perfect Infinitives in Sentences:
- It was good to have seen you again. (Perfect infinitive 'to have seen' functions as an adverb, modifying 'good', and indicates that the seeing happened *before* it being good now).
- He seems to have forgotten his keys. (Perfect infinitive 'to have forgotten' functions as an adverb, modifying 'seems', and indicates that the forgetting happened *before* the seeming).
- She is believed to have left the country. (Perfect infinitive 'to have left' functions as an adverb modifying 'is believed', indicating the leaving happened *before* the believing).
- To have achieved such success at a young age is remarkable. (Perfect infinitive 'To have achieved...' functions as a noun - subject, indicating that the achievement happened *before* it being remarkable).
- He wanted to have completed the project by Friday. (Perfect infinitive 'to have completed' functions as a noun - object of 'wanted', indicating the desired completion *before* Friday and before the wanting).
Perfect infinitives are often used with verbs of seeming, believing, reporting, wanting, hoping, etc., to express actions or states in the past relative to the main verb's time.

Passive Verbals - Expressing Passive Voice in Verbal Forms:

Passive Verbals allow us to express passive voice using verbal forms, shifting the focus to the receiver of the action rather than the performer. There are a few ways to form passive verbals: