2. FINITE VERBS
Finite verbs are a grammatical term used to describe verbs that are
conjugated to agree with the subject of a sentence in terms of tense,
person, and number.
In simpler terms, finite verbs are the verbs that show when an action takes
place (present, past, or future) and who is performing the action (first
person, second person, or third person).
3. Here are some key characteristics of finite verbs:
1. Tense: Finite verbs indicate the time of an action or event. They can be in the present,
past, or future tense. For example:
- Present tense: He walks to school.
- Past tense: She walked to school.
- Future tense: They will walk to school.
4. 2. Person and Number: Finite verbs agree with the subject of the sentence in terms of
person (first person, second person, third person) and number (singular or plural). For
example:
- First person singular: I walk to school.
- Second person singular: You walk to school.
- Third person singular: She walks to school.
- First person plural: We walk to school.
- Second person plural: You walk to school.
- Third person plural: They walk to school.
.
5. 3. Subject-Verb Agreement: In a sentence, the finite verb must agree with the subject in
terms of person and number. For example:
- Correct: He writes a letter.
- Incorrect: He write a letter. (Incorrect subject-verb agreement)
Finite verbs are contrasted with non-finite verbs, which do not show tense, person, or
number agreement. Non-finite verbs include infinitives, gerunds, and participles.
Non-finite verbs are also known as Imposter Verbs.
6. NON-FINITE VERBS
There are three types of non-finite verbs/ imposter verbs:
● The gerund
● The participle
● The infinitive
7. WHAT ARE GERUNDS
Gerunds are created by adding the "-ing" suffix to the base form of a verb, and they
function as nouns in sentences. In other words, a gerund is a verb that acts like a noun.
Characteristics of Gerund
1. Form: To create a gerund, you simply add "-ing" to the base form of the verb. For
example:
- Base form: walk
- Gerund: walking
Walking is a good exercise.
8. 2. Function: Gerunds can function as subjects, objects, or complements in
sentences, just like regular nouns. They can also appear after prepositions.
- As a subject: Swimming is good exercise.
- As an object: I enjoy reading books.
- As a complement: Her favorite activity is dancing.
- After a preposition: He is interested in learning a new language.
9. 3. Gerunds vs. Present Participles: Gerunds and present participles (another non-finite
verb form) both end in "-ing," but they have different functions. Gerunds act as nouns,
while present participles function as adjectives or in adjective phrases.
- Gerund: She enjoys dancing. (Gerund acting as the object of "enjoys.")
- Present participle: The dancing girl is happy. (Present participle used to modify "girl.")
It's important to note that gerunds, as nouns, can take on determiners (e.g., articles,
possessives) and modifiers (adjectives) just like regular nouns. They are versatile in their
usage and allow for a more varied and expressive way of constructing sentences.
10. What are Participles?
Participles are a type of non-finite verbs that can function as both
verbs and adjectives. They are formed by adding the "-ing" suffix
(present participle) or the "-ed" or irregular form (past participle) to
the base form of a verb. Participles are important for constructing
verb tenses and forming various verb phrases in English.
11. Types of participles
1. Present Participle: The present participle is formed by adding "-ing" to the base form of a verb. It is
commonly used to create the present continuous tense and as an adjective to describe a noun.
- Present participle as part of the present continuous tense: She is studying for her exams.
- Present participle as an adjective: The running water is refreshing.
2. Past Participle: The past participle is formed by adding "-ed" (for regular verbs) or using an irregular form
(for irregular verbs) to the base form of a verb. It is used to create the present perfect, past perfect, and
passive tenses, as well as in various verb phrases.
- Past participle as part of the present perfect tense: They have finished their homework.
- Past participle as part of the past perfect tense: He had already eaten when I arrived.
- Past participle in passive voice: The book was written by a famous author.
12. It's essential to differentiate between the present participle and the gerund since
both end in "-ing." As mentioned earlier, present participles function as part of verb
phrases or adjectives, while gerunds function as nouns in sentences.
Participles are versatile and play a crucial role in English grammar, enabling the
formation of different tenses, the passive voice, and various descriptive structures.
13. Participles or Verbal adjectives:
1. The excited children eagerly opened their presents on Christmas morning.
2. The broken window needs to be repaired before it rains again.
3. I found a lost kitten wandering in the park.
4. The roaring waves crashed against the rocky shore.
5. The exhausted hiker finally reached the mountain summit.
In these sentences, the participles "excited," "broken," "lost," "roaring," and "exhausted"
are used as adjectives to describe the nouns "children," "window," "kitten," "waves," and
"hiker," respectively. Participles modify nouns.
14. Participial Verbals
Participial verbals are verb forms that act as participles, either in the present or past participle
form, but function as adjectives in a sentence.
1. Running late, Sarah rushed to catch the bus.
Participial Verbal: Running (present participle)
Function: Describes Sarah (noun), acting as an adjective.
2. The broken vase lay on the floor.
Participial Verbal: Broken (past participle)
Function: Describes the vase (noun), acting as an adjective.
15. 3. The howling wind kept us awake all night.
Participial Verbal: Howling (present participle)
Function: Describes the wind (noun), acting as an adjective.
4. The excited crowd cheered for their team.
Participial Verbal: Excited (past participle)
Function: Describes the crowd (noun), acting as an adjective.
16. 5. The fallen leaves covered the pathway.
Participial Verbal: Fallen (past participle)
Function: Describes the leaves (noun), acting as an adjective.
In these examples, the participial verbals "running," "broken," "howling,"
"excited," and "fallen" modify or describe the nouns "Sarah," "vase," "wind,"
"crowd," and "leaves," respectively. They function as adjectives, providing
additional information about the nouns they are related to.
17. INFINITIVES (‘to form of the verb’)
Infinitives are another type of non-finite verb form. They are the base form of a
verb, typically preceded by the word "to." infinitives are versatile and can function
as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences.
Functions of Infinitives:
1. Form: In its basic form, an infinitive is simply the base form of a verb, for
example:
- Infinitive: to walk, to eat, to read, to sing, etc.
18. I
2. "To" + Verb: In most cases, the word "to" is placed before the base verb to form the infinitive. However, there
are exceptions for certain verbs called "bare infinitives," which do not require the "to" before them. For example:
- To-infinitive: to go, to study, to play, to dance, etc.
- Bare infinitive: can go, must study, should play, let's dance, etc.
3. Function as Nouns: Infinitives can act as nouns in a sentence and take on roles such as the subject, object,
or complement:
- To study is important. (Subject)
- She likes to dance. (Object)
- His dream is to become a pilot. (Complement)
19. 5. Function as Adverbs: Infinitives can act as adverbs, modifying verbs,
adjectives, or adverbs:
- He ran to catch the bus. (Modifies the verb "ran")
- The movie was too long to watch. (Modifies the adjective "long")
- She spoke too softly to be heard. (Modifies the adverb "softly")
Infinitives are essential for expressing purpose, intent, or action without
specifying tense or subject.
20. Examples of bare infinitives
1. Please sit down.
2. They can swim well.
3. He let me go early.
4. We heard her sing.
5. Don't eat too much candy.
In these examples, the bare infinitives are "sit," "swim," "go," "sing," and "eat." Unlike the
to-infinitives (e.g., "to sit," "to swim," etc.), these verbs do not have "to" before them and
are used in various sentence structures, such as imperatives, modals, and causative
verbs.
