1. We decided to sail across the lake – Infinitive phrase.
An Infinitive phrase is a sentence that uses an infinitive (to + verb ). Word that expresses action. “TO SAIL” would be the infinitive.
2. Tachels favorite pastimes are dancing and reading – Gerund phrase.
Gerunds are “ing” words. They always function as a noun. In this case the gerund would be “dancing and reading” accompanied by its modifiers.
3. We watched the children playing soccer – Participle phrase.
A participle is a verb ending in “ing” that modifies a noun. In this case “playing” would be the present participle which modifies the noun that in this case is “children”.
The importance on school based assessments can be so that your teachers (and/or tutors) know where you are on the topic. They need to see if you understand the topic being used in the classroom in order to move on or keep going on this topic.