Clauses: Finite and nonfinite clauses

Look at each of these examples. Do they have present tense or past tense? Can we change the
tense?

 She feels sick.

 I was watching TV.

In the first example, we have the present tense verb form feels. We could change to past tense:
She felt sick.

In the second example, the verb phrase was watching contains the past tense form was. We could
change to the present tense: I am watching TV.

These are called finite clauses because they contain finite verbs: verbs in the present tense or
past tense form.

Our examples of finite clauses so far are main clauses: She feels sick and I was watching TV
stand alone as complete sentences. Subordinate clauses, which form part of a larger
sentence, can also be finite:

 I know that she feels sick.

 While I was watching TV, the phone rang.

Compare the examples above with those below which are nonfinite clauses (highlighted). Can
you see a difference in the verb phrases?

 She doesn’t want to feel sick.

 Watching TV, I dozed off.

The highlighted clauses do not contain any tensed verb forms. Nonfinite clauses are usually
subordinate clauses, as in these examples: to feel sick and watching TV could not stand alone as
sentences.

Nonfinite clauses tend to express less information than matching finite clauses. Take this
example:

 I am happy to see you.

We have here the nonfinite clause to see you. Think about this clause on its own. Does it tell us
when the seeing happened? Or who is doing the seeing?

 No, it doesn’t tell us whether the seeing is present or past (unlike the finite clauses I see
you, I saw you). We can only work out the time from the main clause verb (am).
  No, it doesn’t say who is doing the seeing: there is no Subject expressed in this clause.
We have to work out from the main clause that it is ‘I’ (the speaker) doing the seeing. (If
we had He is happy to see you, it would be ‘he’ doing the seeing.)

It is very common for nonfinite clauses to have no Subject. However, some do have a Subject.
For example, in I am happy for you to start without me, you is the Subject of the nonfinite
subordinate clause.

There are three main types of nonfinite clause, corresponding to the three types of nonfinite verb.
Let’s look at an example of each type.

 I’d always wanted to go to Australia. [S1A-050 #5]

This is a to-infinitive clause, with to followed by the infinitive verb form go.

 Arriving just before lunch, I looked for Harry Frampton in the dining room. [W2B-004 #67]

This is an -ing participle clause (also called present participle clause), with the -ing participle
verb form arriving.

 They’ve never improved on the distance covered on that first expedition. [S2B-024 #30]

This is an -ed participle clause (also called past participle clause), with the -ed participle verb
form covered.

To-infinitive clauses are easy to recognise because they have an infinitive verb form following to.
Can you identify the to-infinitive clauses in these examples?

 It only took us about twenty minutes to get here. [S1A-019 #144]

 It only took us about twenty minutes to get here.
 I’d be quite keen to try anything like that. [S1A-035 #57]
 I’d be quite keen to try anything like that.
 Does anyone else want to be nominated? [S1B-079 #50]
 Does anyone else want to be nominated?
 To reach it on foot, you must navigate hundreds of miles across a perishing sub-zero
landscape. [S2B-024 #3]
 To reach it on foot, you must navigate hundreds of miles across a perishing sub-zero
landscape.

It is easy to recognise -ing participle verb forms, as they always end in -ing.

They can occur in finite clauses after a tensed verb: He is/was eating his dinner.
However, in -ing participle clauses, which are nonfinite, there is no tensed verb before the
participle:

 Eating his dinner, he leafed through a magazine.

Can you identify the -ing participle clauses in these examples?

 Thank you for your letter enquiring about vacancies at the Museum shop. [W1B-016 #71]
 Thank you for your letter enquiring about vacancies at the Museum shop.
 I remember being 3-2 down to Liverpool in the semi-final. [W2C-014 #24]
 I remember being 3-2 down to Liverpool in the semi-final.
 I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the floor. [W1B-004 #53]
 I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the floor.
 Overtaking a moving vehicle is more dangerous. [S2A-054 #214]
 Overtaking a moving vehicle is more dangerous.

To recognise -ed participle clauses, we need to remember that an -ed participle form does not
always end in -ed. This is because some verbs are irregular. Examples of irregular -ed participles
occur in the following:

 He has taken it. It was taken.

 He has sold it. It was sold.

In each of those examples the -ed participle occurs in a finite clause, after a tensed verb.

But in -ed participle clauses, which are nonfinite, there is no tensed verb before the -ed
participle. Here is an example:

 Taken three times a day, these pills should clear the rash.

Now see if you can identify the -ed participle clauses in these examples:

 This is a diagram of the respiratory system taken from front to back. [S2A-035 #53]
 This is a diagram of the respiratory system taken from front to back.
 Compared with London, travel around Brussels is so amazingly hassle-free. [W1B-002 #67]
 Compared with London, travel around Brussels is so amazingly hassle-free.
 The evidence given to Cullen was monitored closely. [W2C-007 #122]
 The evidence given to Cullen was monitored closely.
  First across the line was East Germany in 1969, followed by West Germany in 1972. [W2B-
018 #36]

 First across the line was East Germany in 1969, followed by West Germany in 1972.

Key points

A finite clause typically contains a verb in the present tense or past tense form. It can be a main
clause or a subordinate clause, e.g.:

 Kate broke the dish. (main clause)

 They suspect that Kate broke the dish. (subordinate clause)

A nonfinite clause does not contain any present or past tense verb. It is usually a subordinate
clause. There are three main types:

 Kate didn't mean to break the dish. (to-infinitive clause)

 Kate remembers breaking the dish. (-ing participle clause)
 They will replace the dish broken by Kate. (-ed participle clause)

Finite verb, non finite adalah kata kerja yang dipengaruhi oleh subject dan tensesnya. Finite verb
ini memiliki peran sebagai predikat dalam suatu kalimat. Dalam pengaplikasian finite ini
disesuaikan dengan subject dan tenses-nya. Subject dan tenses tersebut juga tergantung dengan
jumlah serta personalnya. Dalam sebuah kalimat (bahasa Inggris) verb merupakan komponen
yang sangat penting dan digunakan dalam bentuk present tense dan past tense. Finite verb juga
merupakan kata kerja terbatas dan dalam penggunaannya finite verb ini memiliki hubungan
dengan subject dan tenses-nya. Finite verb ini hanya bisa digunakan pada bentuk present tense
dan past tense saja dan kata kerjanya bisa serupa pasif ataupun aktif serta kata kerja tunggal atau
juga jamak.

Kemudian untuk penjelasan non finite verb yaitu kebalikan dari finite verb (kata kerja terbatas)
dan non finite verb (kata kerja tidak terbatas). Non finite verb ini tidak dipengaruhi oleh adanya
subject dan tenses-nya. Non finite ini juga merupakan kata kerja bahasa inggris tidak lengkap
atau bukan merupakan kata kerja utama. Kata kerja ini berfungsi sebagai kata benda (noun),
kata sifat (adjective)dan kata keterangan (adverb). Dalam penggunaannya, non finite digunakan
sebagai pembentuk klausa non finite yang merupakan dari dependent clause. Non finite verb ini
juga tidak dipengaruhi oleh agreement , yaitu person (first, second, third) dan juga number
(singular dan plural). Untuk mengetahui perbedaan kedua finite verb, non finite mari lihat list
jenis dan contoh kalimat berikut ini.

Tipe dan Contoh Kalimat

Bentuk finite verb berdasarkan tenses, person dan number.

Berdasar Agreement Contoh Kalimat

Present Fitri drinks a coffee

Past Fitri drank a coffee

First I drink in the café

Second We drink in the café

Third He drinks in the café

Singular Siska drinks a cup of tea

Plural Siska and I drink a cup of tea

Tipe dan contoh kalimat finite verb.

Tipe Finite Verb Contoh Kalimat

She became a teacher. (dia menjadi seorang

Linking verb
guru)
(kata kerja penghubung antara pelengkap
(compliment) dengan subject

She is eating a cake. (dia sedang makan sebuah

Transitive
kue)
(kata kerja yang membutuhkan object)

She is running in the park. (dia sedang berlari di

Intransitive
taman)
(kata kerja yang tidak membutuhkan object)

Auxiliary She is working hard. (dia sedang bekerja keras)

(kata kerja untuk memodifikasi kata main verb
atau kata kerja utama)

I listen the radio every night. (saya

Action verb
mendengarkan radio setiap malam)
Non action verb I love summer. (saya suka musim kemarau)

Contoh kalimat non finite verb

Tipe Non
Contoh Kalimat
Finite

Infinitive She asked me to pick you up. (dia memintaku untuk menjemputmu)

They helped me to bring this book to the library. (mereka membantuku untuk
membawa buku ini ke perpustakaan)

Present
He is smiling to Sasha. (dia sedang tersenyum kepada Sasha)
participle

Past participle I have paid the motorcycle. (saya telah membayar sepeda motor itu)

Rumus dan Contoh Adjective Clause

Sebelum memulai menggunakan adjective clause dalam kalimat, apa yang perlu kita ketahui?
Rumus-rumus adjective clause yang berlaku adalah:

Complex Sentence:

Independent Clause + Adjective Clause

Adjective Clause:

Relative Pronoun +/- S*+V

Keterangan: *Relative pronoun (who, which, that) dapat berfungsi sebagai subject jika tidak
ada subject.

Relative Pronoun pada Adjective Clause

Beberapa fungsi relative pronoun di dalam adjective clause.

 Relative Contoh Adjective
Fungsi Pembuktian
Pronoun Clause
who, that, that was made of coba substitusi dengan “It”
Subject
which cheddar cheese. (subjective personal pronoun)
whom, that, coba substitusi dengan “it”
Object* which I want to buy
which, who (objective personal pronoun)
whose house has coba substitusi dengan “his”
Possessive whose
burned down (possessive personal pronoun)

Structure
A typical finite clause consists of a finite form of the verb together with its objects and other
dependents (i.e. a verb phrase or predicate), along with its subject (although in certain cases the
subject is not expressed). A non-finite clause is similar, except that the verb must be in a non-
finite form (such as an infinitive, participle, gerund or gerundive), and it is consequently much
more likely that there will be no subject expressed, i.e. that the clause will consist of a (non-
finite) verb phrase on its own.

Some examples are given below.

Finite clauses
 Kids play on computers. (an independent clause)
 I know that kids play on computers. (a dependent (subordinate) clause, but still finite)

 Play on your computer! (an imperative sentence, an example of an independent finite

clause lacking a subject)

Non-finite clauses
 Kids like to play on computers. (an infinitival clause using the English to-infinitive)
 It's easy for kids to play on computers. (an infinitival clause containing periphrastic
expression of the subject)
 Playing on computers, they whiled the day away. (a participial clause, using a present
participle)
 With the kids playing on their computers, we were able to enjoy some time alone. (a
participial clause with a subject)
 Having played on computers all day, they were pale and hungry. (a participial clause
using a past participle)
 Playing on computers is fun. (a gerund-participial clause)
 He be playing on computers all the time. (a gerund-participial subjunctive clause)
Some types of non-finite clause have zero in one of the object or complement positions; the gap
is usually understood to be filled by a noun from the larger clause in which the non-zero clause
appears (as is the subject "gap" in most non-finite clauses). These clauses are also called hollow
non-finite clauses.[4]

Some examples:

 He is the man to beat. (infinitival clause with zero object; the man is understood as the
object)
 That car wants looking at straight away. (gerund-participial clause with zero preposition
complement after at)
 The building was given a new lease of life. (past-participial clause with zero indirect
object)

For more examples of such constructions in English, see English passive voice and Uses of
English verb forms § Uses of non-finite verbs.

Use
As a dependent clause, a non-finite clause plays some kind of grammatical role within a larger
clause that contains it. What this role can be, and what the consequent meaning is, depends on
the type of non-finite verb involved, the constructions allowed by the grammar of the language in
question, and the meanings of those constructions in that language. Some examples are noted
below:

 To live is to suffer in silence. (infinitival clauses used as subject and object)

 We went there to collect our computers. (infinitival clause used as an adverbial of
purpose)
 They were sitting quietly. (participial clause used as verb complement to express
progressive aspect)
 The man sitting quietly is the man to watch. (participial clause used as noun modifier)
 Well beaten, we slumped back to the dressing room. (participial clause used as
nominative absolute)
 I like resc

 uing wasps. (gerund-participial clause used as a noun phrase)

 Carthago delenda est ("Carthage must be destroyed"; Latin gerundive used as a
predicative expression)

Choose the right answer

 1. Nancy does her homework every day (does is a finite verb)
2. Nancy is doing her homework at the moment (doing is a non-finite verb)

3. They are writing a letter. (are is a finite verb)

4. She speaks Chinese very well (speaks is a finite verb) .

5. He has a big car. (has is a finite verb)

6. The proposal has been examined today. (been is a non-finite verb)

7. She tried to help him. (tried is a finite verb)

8. It is healthy to laugh at problems. (to laugh is a non-finite verb)

9. Finding the gates widely open, the thief went inside (Finding is a non-finite verb)

10. He had his car cleaned. (cleaned is a non-finite verb)

Determine whether the following verbs have got finite or non-finite clausal complements.

(1) a Bobby believes Betsy to be beautiful.

b Terry tried to travel to Toronto.
c Thomas thinks that Ron runs too fast.
d Hetty hopes for Hugh to hug her.
e Alan asked if Sam could stay longer.
f Sam answered that he had to leave.

Now consider the following data. What conclusions can you draw concerning the types of clausal
complements?

g Bobby believes that Betsy is beautiful.

h Hetty hopes that Hugh will hug her.

Suggested answer for Exercise 2

(1) a Bobby believes [Betsy to be beautiful]. → non-finite clause

b Terry tried [to travel to Toronto]. → non-finite clause
c Thomas thinks [that Ron runs too fast]. → finite clause
d Hetty hopes [for Hugh to hug her]. → non-finite clause
e Alan asked [if Sam could stay longer]. → finite clause
f Sam answered [that he had to leave]. → finite clause
g Bobby believes [that Betsy is beautiful]. → finite clause
h Hetty hopes [that Hugh will hug her]. → finite clause
On the basis of the examples, it can be concluded that for some verbs (believe, want and hope,
respectively) both finite and non-finite complements are possible. In other words, their clausal
complement may or may not express tense: if tense is expressed, the clause is finite, if it is not
expressed, the clause is non-finite.