Fineite and Non Finite Verbs

HALF YEARLY 2020-21
CLASS VI
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
FINITE AND NON FINITE VERBS
There are mainly two types of verbs in English – finite and non-finite.
Finite verbs change their forms when there is a change in the number or person of the subject.
Finite verbs also have different forms in different tenses.
In the following sentences, state whether the verb given in the inverted commas is finite or non-finite.
Finite verbs can be predicates of sentences by themselves. Example: She is playing.
A modal auxiliary is a verb that is used with another verb to express a mood or tense.
Examples of a modal auxiliary include can, may, must, ought, shall, should, will and would.
Modal Meaning Example

can to express ability I can speak a little Russian.
can to request permission Can I open the window?
may to express possibility I may be home late.
may to request permission May I sit down, please?
The modal auxiliaries can,could,will,shall,should,would,might do not change with number and person of the
subject.They are finite verbs,because they can be predicates of sentences by themselves.Example: I can swim.
Non-finite verbs do not change their form when the number or person of the subject changes.
Example: I like to play tennis.
They like to play tennis.
Non finite verbs cannot be the predicate of a sentence by themselves.
Example: I like to play tennis.
Here, like to play sentence: Predicate
To play: non finite verb
Exercise:
1. My little brother 'wants' to be an actor.

finite
non-finite
2. She worked hard 'to pass' the test.

finite
non-finite
3. I 'couldn’t solve' the problem.

finite
non-finite
4. 'To err' is human.

finite
non-finite
5. Your duty is 'to cross' the river without getting noticed.

finite
non-finite
6. The doctor 'is attending' to the injured people.

finite
non-finite
7. She 'opened' the door.

finite
non-finite
8. The students were asked 'to submit' their assignments by Friday.

finite
non-finite
9. The teacher 'encouraged' the students to work hard.

finite
non-finite
10. The dog 'wagged' its tail to show its happiness.

finite
non-finite
Answers
1. My little brother wants to be an actor. (wants – finite; to be – non-finite)

2. She worked hard to pass the test. (worked – finite; to pass – non-finite)
3. I couldn’t solve the problem. (couldn’t solve – finite)
4. To err is human. (to err – non-finite; is – finite)
5. Your duty is to cross the river without getting noticed. (is – finite; to cross – non-finite; getting – non-finite)
6. The doctor is attending to the injured people. (is attending – finite)
7. She opened the door. (opened – finite)
8. The students were asked to submit their assignments by Friday. (were asked – finite; to submit – non-finite)
9. The teacher encouraged the students to work hard. (encouraged – finite; to work – non-finite)
10. The dog wagged its tail to show its happiness. (wagged – finite; to show – non-finite)
There are mainly three types of non-finite verbs: infinitives, gerunds and participles.
INFINITIVES:
The present infinitive has two forms:
 the to-infinitive = to + base

 the zero infinitive = base
The present infinitive base is the verb form you will find in a dictionary.
To-infinitive Zero infinitive

to sit sit
to eat eat
to have have
to remember remember
The to-infinitive indicates the purpose or intention of an action
Examples
 She came to collect her pay cheque.

 The three bears went to find firewood.
The to-infinitive after adjectives
There is a common pattern using the to-infinitive with an adjective. These phrases are formed:
subject + to be + adjective + (for/of someone) + to-infinitive + (rest of sentence)
Subject + to be + adjective (+ for/of someone) + to-infinitive (+ rest of sentence)

Subject + to be + adjective (+ for/of someone) + to-infinitive (+ rest of sentence)
It is good to talk.
It is good of you to talk to me.
We use an infinitive after certain verbs. It can also be used after an object.
Example: She wants me to guide her.
GERUNDS:
A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can
use a gerund as the subject or the object of a sentence.
Examples:
 Reading helps you learn English. subject of sentence

 I enjoy reading. object of sentence
PARTICIPLES:
Participles
Participles are words derived from verbs that can function as adjectives or as parts of verb phrases to create verb
tenses.
Put simply, that means a participle will look like a verb (running) but may have a different role in the
sentence: the running water. That participle is describing the water and performing the function of an adjective.
There are two types of participles:
 Present participle (ending -ing)

 Past participle (usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n).
Examples of Participles Being Used as Adjectives

Here are some present and past participles being used as adjectives:
The Verb The Present Participle The Past Participle
To rise the rising sun the risen sun
To boil the boiling water the boiled water

Exercise:
For each of the following sentences, decide if the word or phrase in italics is a participle, a gerund, or an
infinitive.
1. The children's singing and laughing woke me up.

2. Jenny likes to dance in the rain.
3. There are many ways of breaking a heart.
4. A broken heart will mend over time.
5. "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." — George Burns
6. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
7. "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying." — Woody
Allen
8. "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying." — Woody
Allen
9. "It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail." —Gore Vidal
10. Succeeding is not enough. Others must fail.
Answer Key
1. Gerund: In this sentence, the words singing and laughing function as nouns, making them gerunds.
2. Infinitive: You can tell that to dance is an infinitive because "to" precedes the word "dance."
3. Gerund: The verbal breaking serves as a noun. It is also the object of the preposition of.
4. (Past) participle: Implied in this sentence is the verbal phrase, that has been preceding the verbal, broken,
making it a past participle, which indicates something that happened and was completed in the past.
5. (Present) participles: Loving and caring are actions that are occurring in the present, making these verbals
present participles.
6. Gerund: Laughing is a noun making it a gerund.
7. Infinitives: The verbal to achieve, in both cases, is an infinitive because it's a verb preceded by to.
8. Gerund: Dying is used as a noun in the sentence.
9. Infinitive: To succeed is an infinitive—a verb preceded by to.
10. Gerund: Succeeding is a noun here; indeed, it is the subject of the first sentence, making it a gerund.

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HALF YEARLY 2020-21

Finite verbs also have different forms in different tenses.

Finite verbs can be predicates of sentences by themselves. Example: She is playing.

Modal Meaning Example

Example: I like to play tennis.

They like to play tennis.

Non finite verbs cannot be the predicate of a sentence by themselves.

Example: I like to play tennis.

Here, like to play sentence: Predicate

To play: non finite verb

1. My little brother 'wants' to be an actor.

2. She worked hard 'to pass' the test.

3. I 'couldn’t solve' the problem.

4. 'To err' is human.

5. Your duty is 'to cross' the river without getting noticed.

6. The doctor 'is attending' to the injured people.

7. She 'opened' the door.

8. The students were asked 'to submit' their assignments by Friday.

9. The teacher 'encouraged' the students to work hard.

10. The dog 'wagged' its tail to show its happiness.

1. My little brother wants to be an actor. (wants – finite; to be – non-finite)

3. I couldn’t solve the problem. (couldn’t solve – finite)

4. To err is human. (to err – non-finite; is – finite)

6. The doctor is attending to the injured people. (is attending – finite)

7. She opened the door. (opened – finite)

The present infinitive has two forms:

 the to-infinitive = to + base

To-infinitive Zero infinitive

The to-infinitive indicates the purpose or intention of an action

 She came to collect her pay cheque.

The to-infinitive after adjectives

Subject + to be + adjective (+ for/of someone) + to-infinitive (+ rest of sentence)

It is good of you to talk to me.

Example: She wants me to guide her.

 Reading helps you learn English. subject of sentence

There are two types of participles:

 Present participle (ending -ing)

Examples of Participles Being Used as Adjectives

The Verb The Present Participle The Past Participle

To rise the rising sun the risen sun

To boil the boiling water the boiled water

1. The children's singing and laughing woke me up.

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