Page 154 - Lavender-B-7

A nonfinite verb does not show any tense, person or number. There are three types of nonfinite

verbs—infinitives, participles and gerunds.
For example,

• I don’t want to see blood stains in the floor. (infinitive)

• If he refuses to oil the chains, then I have to take them off. (infinitive)

• The twins started jumping on the bed. (participle)

• He approaches the other ghost which has a paper hanging with a written message.
(participle)

• I dislike working after 5 p.m. (gerund)

• Scaring people is my favourite activity. (gerund)

Identify the highlighted nonfinite verbs in these sentences.

1. She tiptoed round the house so as not to wake anyone.

2. Swimming is my favourite sport.

3. Do you love reading?

4. We have to practice for the concert.

5. Hearing the noise, everyone rushed to the spot.

6. She wants to learn French next year.

7. Walking slowly, she reached the bus stop.

8. Someone stepped on the tail of the sleeping dog.

Time to learn new words

Read these sets of words.

• appear—disappear • comfortable—uncomfortable

• normal—abnormal • honestly—dishonestly

• possible—impossible • regular—irregular

• legal—illegal • evitable—inevitable

The prefixes—in-, un-, ab-, dis-, im- and ir- help to form antonyms.

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