The lesson explicitly teaches the passive-voice construction as "form of the verb 'to be' + the past participle form of another verb" and gives examples of past participles (e.g., walked, thrown, eaten). Students are asked to identify the subject and verb/verb phrase in clauses and to label clauses as active or passive, and they must rewrite passive clauses in active voice (Option 1 and Option 2 activities and answer keys). The lesson includes an example of rewriting a passive sentence ("John was inoculated against smallpox." → "Doctors inoculated John."), which requires recognizing a past participle and its role in a sentence.

The Parent Plan explicitly lists as a skill: "Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences." The Parent Plan also includes related verb work (use verbs in active/passive voice; form and use verbs in various moods; use subject-verb agreement and verb tense), and the paragraph-editing activity asks students to correct a subjunctive mood verb error and other verb-related issues.

The lesson provides explicit definitions of gerunds, participles, and infinitives in the "Things to Know" section and gives multiple examples showing each verbal functioning in sentences. In Activity 1 students are asked to underline gerunds, circle participles and draw arrows to the nouns they modify, and underline infinitives while indicating their function (noun, adjective, or adverb); Task 2 asks students to describe how infinitives function in separate sentences. The Parent Plan also lists "Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences" as a targeted skill.

Students are asked to find participles and gerunds in the Grammatical Scavenger Hunt (tasks labeled "Participle Examples" and the answer key entry for Gerund). Students are explicitly asked to "determine the function of an infinitive (verb) in the passage" on the activity page and the answer key lists an infinitive example. The lesson references a "Handy Guide to Writing" for more information about verbals, and the parent notes invite students to explain why their answers work if they find additional examples.

The study guide lists Lesson 7, Activity 1 as discussing the three types of verbals and the Student Activity Page explicitly lists "Verbals: gerunds, participles, and infinitives" with space for notes. The unit test (Part 5: Verbals, Questions 19–21) asks students to identify examples as gerund, participle, or infinitive, and the answer key provides correct identifications. The materials also point students to review pages and a Handy Guide to Writing for more information about verbals.

The lesson provides an explicit example contrasting 'running' as part of a verb phrase ('She is running') and as a noun labeled a gerund ('Running is good for the heart'), and it uses the term 'gerund' in that example. The activity instructions ask students to use a purple underline for 'verbs acting as an adjective or noun,' which directs students to identify verbals functioning as participles (adjectival) or gerunds (nominal) in particular sentences. The student activity pages require labeling verb phrases and identifying how words function in sentences, so students practice marking verbs used in non-finite roles within sentence contexts.

Students are asked to read and mark a descriptive paragraph (p. 36) by underlining words or phrases they find effective. The lesson's tips include 'Use strong verbs' and explicitly note that 'The writer also uses effective verbals such as "cogitating" and "jotting."' Students are given activities that emphasize word choice (verbs and descriptive phrases) when composing descriptions.

Students encounter verbals in multiple places: the Sentence Editing exercise includes "Before ringing the bell..." and the corrected form "the bell's ringing," the text uses an infinitive in "made sure to get some cotton balls," and the Precise Language examples use participial phrases such as "appearing as tall as a small pony." These instances show students read and work with sentences that contain gerund, participle, and infinitive forms.

The lesson defines verbals and their general functions: it explains gerunds (verb form ending in -ing functioning as a noun), infinitives (to + verb functioning as noun/adjective/adverb), and participles (verb form functioning as an adjective) and gives sentence examples for each. The materials label and give examples of verbal phrases and instruct students to identify a single verbal phrase on the Student Activity Page; the answer key highlights "Saved by the bell" as a verbal (participial) phrase. The lesson also links verbal phrases to sentence analysis by noting verbal phrases as a common phrase type in the "Phrases and Clauses" review.

The lesson explicitly defines participial phrases as verbals: "A participial phrase is a verbal phrase usually ending in -ed or -ing, and it functions as an adjective." It provides a model sentence showing the participial phrase in use: "Having finished the reading for the day, the student closed her book." These lines show students are introduced to at least one type of verbal and its adjectival function in a particular sentence.

The lesson explicitly reviews commas after a "prepositional or participial phrase that begins a sentence," and students complete a "Using Commas Part 2" activity that requires adding commas to sentences derived from Poe's poems. The activity uses the participial phrase "sitting lonely on the placid bust" and asks students to explain why that phrase is nonessential and can be removed. Students are asked to identify coordinate adjectives and nonessential phrases and to justify comma placement in written responses.