Page 46 - New Grammar with a Smile 6

Finite and Non-finite Verbs

Read these sentences.
• We live in India.
• The dog wagged its tail.
• She opened the door.
• She speaks Chinese well.
The highlighted verbs are the main verbs in these sentences. Each of the verbs has

a subject.

A verb that has a subject and exhibits tense and number in a sentence is called
a finite verb.

Now, read these sentences.
• Mother was watching television.
• She went to Germany to learn German.

• I have won the match.
• Swimming is the best exercise.
• The sleeping cow caused a traffic jam.
The highlighted words do not have a subject. They do not change their forms
according to the tense and number.

A verb that neither has a subject nor exhibits tense and number in a sentence
is called a non-finite verb.

There are three kinds of non-finite verbs—the infinitive, the participle
and the gerund.

Infinitives

The infinitive form of a verb is the verb in its basic form, usually preceded by to.
For example,

• The cricketers like to play fair. • The team hopes to win the championship.
• The patient is too weak to walk. • The children have come to see the exhibition.

Participles
Participles are of two kinds—present participle and past participle. Present

participles end in ing, while past participles end in ed, d, t, en or n. Participles can be
used as adjectives or in participle phrases. For example,

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