The sentence 'Reading helps expand imagination' uses 'Reading' as a gerund serving as the subject. Gerunds act as nouns, and here 'reading' is clearly performing that function.

The phrase 'to dance' is the infinitive, marked by the word 'to' before the base form of the verb 'dance.' Infinitives function as non-finite forms of verbs.

The word 'crying' is a present participle used as an adjective to describe the baby. It modifies the noun by indicating the baby's state.

In the sentence, 'swimming' is a gerund functioning as a noun; it serves as the subject of the verb 'is'. Gerunds are verbals that do not show tense.

Verbals are words formed from verbs that function as other parts of speech such as nouns or adjectives. They do not display tense, which distinguishes them from finite verbs.

The phrase 'to forgive' is an infinitive phrase, identified by the presence of 'to' before the base form of the verb. Infinitives do not show tense and are used in various grammatical roles.

A gerund phrase begins with a gerund and includes any objects or modifiers associated with it. It functions as a noun, making it essential for various sentence structures.

The phrase 'Worn out from the race' is a participial phrase that describes the runner. Its function is to provide additional information about the subject.

Both gerunds and present participles end in -ing, so their function is determined by how they are used in the sentence. Gerunds function as nouns, while participles typically modify nouns or form part of a verb phrase.

In 'He runs to win every race,' the infinitive 'to win' explains the purpose behind his running. It serves an adverbial role, modifying the verb 'runs.'

The phrase 'to start' is an infinitive that acts as the complement of the verb 'planning'. It completes the idea by specifying the intended action.

Verbals are formed from verbs and retain some of their properties, such as taking objects, but they do not display tense. This characteristic distinguishes them from finite verbs.

The infinitive 'to learn' functions as a complement to the noun 'desire', specifying what the desire involves. This additional information clarifies the meaning of the phrase.

The key difference is in their function: participial phrases act as adjectives modifying nouns, whereas gerund phrases function as nouns. Recognizing this difference is essential for accurate grammatical analysis.

In this sentence, 'Cooking' is a gerund because it is an -ing form used as a noun, functioning as the subject. It denotes the activity that helps relieve stress.

The phrase 'exhausted from continuous editing' describes the writer and is a participial phrase. It functions as an adjective that provides additional detail about the noun 'writer'.

The sentence 'Running down the street, the rain soaked him.' contains a participial phrase that mistakenly appears to modify 'the rain,' creating ambiguity. The intended subject performing the action is unclear.

The infinitive phrase 'To master verbals' explains the purpose behind the action and modifies 'must practice'. It functions as an adverbial phrase indicating why the practice is necessary.

The phrase 'swimming with friends during summer' is a gerund phrase that provides additional information about 'activity'. It functions as an appositive, clarifying the type of activity.

Distinguishing between a gerund and a participle depends on its function: gerunds act as nouns and participles function as adjectives. Evaluating the word's role in the sentence is the key to making this distinction.