Chapter 2

Finite and Non-Finite

Finite verbs are verbs that have subjects and indicate grammatical tense,
person, and number. These verbs describe the action of a person, place, or
thing in the sentence. Unlike other types of verbs, finite verbs do not
require another verb in the sentence in order to be grammatically correct.

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 example
Here are some examples of finite verbs:
“They went to the mall today.”
“The outfielder leaped for the baseball.”
“Many people travel to the ocean in the
summer.”
“The sailboat glides over the water.”
“The lion is the king of the jungle.”
Non-finite verbs are verbs that do not have tenses or subjects that they
correspond to. Instead, these verbs are usually infinitives, gerunds, or
participles. Gerunds and present participles end in “-ing,” while past
participles usually end in “-ed,” “-d,” or “-t.”

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infinitives

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If an infinitive is used in its full form (to + base form of the verb), it
can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb in the sentence. Bare
infinitives (base form of the verb without to) of non-finite verbs are
used in conjunction with modal auxiliary verbs, which are
considered the finite verb(s) of the sentence.

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⋆ “To run is often tiresome.” (The infinitive to run functions as a noun,
while is functions as the finite verb.)
⋆ “I have a suggestion to help you study.” (The phrase to help you
study functions as an adjective, modifying the noun suggestion; the
verb have is the finite verb.)
⋆ “I can’t swim yet.” (The bare infinitive swim relies on the finite
auxiliary verb can to be complete, so it is non-finite in this sentence.)

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gerunds

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Gerunds are “-ing” forms of a verb that function as nouns in a
sentence. Because they do not have the grammatical function of a
verb, gerunds are always non-finite.
⋆ “Seeing the ocean for the first time is incredible.”
⋆ “Reading books is often very enjoyable.”

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participle

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Present Participles
Present participles have the same form as gerunds, ending in “-
ing.” However, they function in a sentence as either part of a
continuous tense, relying on an auxiliary verb to be complete; as
an adjunct to a finite verb, indicating a secondary action; or as an
attributive or predicative adjective, modifying a noun.

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⋆ “My daughter is watching me work.” (Watching is used with is to form
the present continuous tense.)
⋆ “The car sat rusting in the driveway for over a year.” (Rusting is used in
conjunction with the finite verb sat to indicate a parallel activity.)
⋆ “I read a very engaging book last week.” (Engaging functions as an
attributive adjective of book.)
⋆ “This book is engaging.” (Engaging functions as a predicative adjective,
following the finite linking verb is and modifying book.)

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past participle
⋆ Past participles of verbs are used to create non-continuous perfect
verb tenses (past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect), or
else function as adjectives modifying nouns (again, either
attributively or predicatively). They are also used when forming
the passive voice.

⋆ It is important to note that non-finite past participles and finite

past tense verbs often both end in “-d” or “-ed.” If the word directly
describes the action of a subject, then it is a finite verb. However, if
the word is being used as an adjective or requires another verb to be
complete, then it is a non-finite verb.
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⋆ “I had already walked for many miles.” (Walked is a past participle that
depends on the auxiliary verb have to create the past perfect tense.)
⋆ “Those clothes are washed.” (Washed is a past participle acting as an
predicative adjective to the noun clothes, following the finite linking
verb are.)
⋆ “She carried the washed clothes upstairs.” (Carried is a past tense
verb describing the action of the subject, she; washedis a past
participle acting as an attributive adjective to the noun clothes.)

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