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Non-finite verb
 
 
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In linguistics
Linguistics

Linguistics is the science study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of Meaning ....
, a non-finite verb (or a verbal) is a verb
Verb

In syntax, a verb is a word that usually denotes an action , an occurrence , or a state of being . Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its grammatical tense, grammatical aspect, grammatical mood and grammatical voice....
 form that is not limited by a subject and, more generally, is not fully inflected
Inflection

In grammar, inflection or inflexion is the way language handles grammatical relations and relational categories such as grammatical tense, grammatical mood, grammatical voice, grammatical aspect, grammatical person, grammatical number, grammatical gender, grammatical case....
 by categories that are marked inflectionally in language, such as tense
Grammatical tense

Grammatical tense is a temporal language quality expressing the time at, during, or over which a state or action denoted by a verb occurs.Tense is one of at least five qualities, along with grammatical mood, grammatical voice, grammatical aspect, and grammatical person, which verb forms may express....
, aspect
Grammatical aspect

In linguistics, the grammatical aspect of a verb defines the temporal flow in the described event or state. In English, for example, the past-tense sentences "I swam" and "I was swimming" differ in aspect ....
, mood
Grammatical mood

Grammatical mood is one of a set of distinctive verb forms that are used to signal Linguistic modality.It is distinct from grammatical tense or grammatical aspect, although these concepts are conflated to some degree in many languages, including English and most other modern Indo-European languages, insofar as the same word patterns are used...
, number
Grammatical number

In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
, gender
Grammatical gender

In linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words; every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be very few which belong to several classes at once....
, and person
Grammatical person

Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deixis reference to a participant in an event, such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns....
. As a result, a non-finite verb cannot generally serve as the main verb in an independent clause
Independent clause

An independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself as a grammatically viable simple sentence. Independent clauses express a complete thought and contain a Subject and a Predicate ....
; rather, it heads a non-finite clause
Non-finite clause

In linguistics, a non-finite clause is a subordinate clause whose verb is non-finite verb; for example, many languages can form non-finite clauses from infinitives....
.

By some accounts, a non-finite verb acts simultaneously as a verb and as another part of speech; it can take adverb
Adverb

An adverb is a part of speech. It is any word that modifies any other part of language: verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentence s and other adverbs, except for nouns; modifiers of nouns are primarily determiners and adjectives....
s and certain kinds of verb argument
Verb argument

In linguistics, a verb argument is a phrase that appears in a syntax relationship with the verb in a clause. In English language, for example, the two most important arguments are the subject and the direct object ....
s, producing a verbal phrase (i.e., non-finite clause), and this phrase then plays a different role—usually noun
Noun

In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open class lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition....
, adjective
Adjective

In grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntax role is to grammatical modifier a noun or pronoun, giving more information about the noun or pronoun's definition....
, or adverb—in a greater clause.






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Encyclopedia


In linguistics
Linguistics

Linguistics is the science study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of Meaning ....
, a non-finite verb (or a verbal) is a verb
Verb

In syntax, a verb is a word that usually denotes an action , an occurrence , or a state of being . Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its grammatical tense, grammatical aspect, grammatical mood and grammatical voice....
 form that is not limited by a subject and, more generally, is not fully inflected
Inflection

In grammar, inflection or inflexion is the way language handles grammatical relations and relational categories such as grammatical tense, grammatical mood, grammatical voice, grammatical aspect, grammatical person, grammatical number, grammatical gender, grammatical case....
 by categories that are marked inflectionally in language, such as tense
Grammatical tense

Grammatical tense is a temporal language quality expressing the time at, during, or over which a state or action denoted by a verb occurs.Tense is one of at least five qualities, along with grammatical mood, grammatical voice, grammatical aspect, and grammatical person, which verb forms may express....
, aspect
Grammatical aspect

In linguistics, the grammatical aspect of a verb defines the temporal flow in the described event or state. In English, for example, the past-tense sentences "I swam" and "I was swimming" differ in aspect ....
, mood
Grammatical mood

Grammatical mood is one of a set of distinctive verb forms that are used to signal Linguistic modality.It is distinct from grammatical tense or grammatical aspect, although these concepts are conflated to some degree in many languages, including English and most other modern Indo-European languages, insofar as the same word patterns are used...
, number
Grammatical number

In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
, gender
Grammatical gender

In linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words; every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be very few which belong to several classes at once....
, and person
Grammatical person

Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deixis reference to a participant in an event, such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns....
. As a result, a non-finite verb cannot generally serve as the main verb in an independent clause
Independent clause

An independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself as a grammatically viable simple sentence. Independent clauses express a complete thought and contain a Subject and a Predicate ....
; rather, it heads a non-finite clause
Non-finite clause

In linguistics, a non-finite clause is a subordinate clause whose verb is non-finite verb; for example, many languages can form non-finite clauses from infinitives....
.

By some accounts, a non-finite verb acts simultaneously as a verb and as another part of speech; it can take adverb
Adverb

An adverb is a part of speech. It is any word that modifies any other part of language: verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentence s and other adverbs, except for nouns; modifiers of nouns are primarily determiners and adjectives....
s and certain kinds of verb argument
Verb argument

In linguistics, a verb argument is a phrase that appears in a syntax relationship with the verb in a clause. In English language, for example, the two most important arguments are the subject and the direct object ....
s, producing a verbal phrase (i.e., non-finite clause), and this phrase then plays a different role—usually noun
Noun

In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open class lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition....
, adjective
Adjective

In grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntax role is to grammatical modifier a noun or pronoun, giving more information about the noun or pronoun's definition....
, or adverb—in a greater clause. This is the reason for the term verbal; non-finite verbs have traditionally been classified as verbal nouns, verbal adjectives, or verbal adverbs.

English has three kinds of verbals:
  1. participle
    Participle

    In linguistics, a participle is a derivative of a non-finite verb verb, which can be used in compound Grammatical tense or Grammatical voice, or as a Grammatical modifier....
    s, which function as adjectives (e.g. burnt log);
  2. gerund
    Gerund

    In linguistics, ?gerund? is a term used to refer to various non-finite verb in various languages:* As applied to English language, it refers to what might be called a verb's action noun, which is one of the uses of the -ing form....
    s, which function as nouns (the Running of the Bulls) or adverbs (he came in running) and sometimes adjectives (a betting man); and
  3. infinitive
    Infinitive

    In grammar, infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that exist in many languages. In the usual description of English language, the infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the grammatical particle to: therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives....
    s, which have noun-like (the question is to be or not to be), adjective-like (work to do), and adverb-like functions (she came over to talk).


Each of these kinds of verbals is also used in various common constructs; for example, the past participle is used in forming the perfect aspect
Perfect aspect

The perfect aspect is variously considered either an grammatical aspect or grammatical tense which calls a listener's attention to the consequences generated by an action, rather than the action itself....
 (to have done).

Other kinds of verbals, such as supine
Supine

In grammar a supine is a form of verbal noun used in some languages....
s and gerundive
Gerundive

In linguistics, a gerundive is a particular verb form. The term is applied very differently to different languages; depending on the language, gerundives may be verbal adjectives, verbal adverbs, or finite verbs....
s, exist in other languages. Some languages, especially Native American languages
Indigenous languages of the Americas

Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the southern tip of South America to Alaska and Greenland, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas....
 do not have any non-finite verbs. Where most European or Asian languages use non-finite verbs, they use either ordinary verb forms
Balancing and deranking

In linguistics, balancing and deranking are terms used to describe the form of verbs used in various types of subordinate clauses and also sometimes in co-ordinate constructions....
 or special constructions like nominalisations.

Participles


A participle is a verbal adjective
Adjective

In grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntax role is to grammatical modifier a noun or pronoun, giving more information about the noun or pronoun's definition....
 that describes a noun
Noun

In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open class lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition....
 as being a participant in the action of the verb. English has two kinds of participles: a present participle, also called an imperfect participle, which ends in -ing and which ordinarily describes the agent
Agent (grammar)

In linguistics, a grammatical agent is the participant of a situation that carries out the action in this situation. Also, agent is the name of the thematic role with the above definition....
 of an action, and a past participle, also called a perfect participle, which typically ends in -ed (but can also end in -en, -t, or none of these), and which ordinarily describes the patient
Patient (grammar)

In linguistics, a grammatical patient, also called the target or undergoer, is the participant of a situation upon whom an action is carried out....
 of an action.

The following sentences contain participles:

  • The talking children angered the teacher. (Here talking modifies children.)
  • Annoyed, Rita ate dinner by herself in the bedroom. (Here annoyed modifies Rita.)


In English, the present participle is used in forming the continuous aspect (to be doing); the past participle is used in forming the passive voice (to be done) and the perfect aspect
Perfect aspect

The perfect aspect is variously considered either an grammatical aspect or grammatical tense which calls a listener's attention to the consequences generated by an action, rather than the action itself....
 (to have done).

A participial phrase is a phrase
Phrase

In grammar, a phrase is a group of words that functions as a single unit in the syntax of a Sentence .For example the house at the end of the street is a phrase....
 consisting of a participle and any adverbial
Adverbial

In grammar an adverbial is a word or a group of words that modifies or tells us something about the Sentence or the verb. The word adverbial is also used as an adjective, meaning 'having the same function as an adverb'....
s and/or arguments; the participle is the head
Head (linguistics)

In linguistics, the head is the word that determines the syntax type of the phrase of which it is a member, or analogously the word stem that determines the semantic category of a compound of which it is a component....
 of such a phrase:

  • Gazing at the painting, she recalled the house where she was born. (Here gazing at the painting modifies she.)


Gerunds


A gerund is a verbal noun that refers to the action of the verb. In English, a gerund has the same form as a present participle (see above), ending in -ing:

  • Fencing is good exercise. (Here fencing is the subject
    Subject (grammar)

    The subject is one of the two main constituent every sentence can be divided into, according to a tradition that can be tracked back to Aristotle....
     of is.)
  • Leroy expanded his skills by studying. (Here studying is the object
    Object (grammar)

    An object in grammar is a sentence element and part of the sentence Predicate . It denotes somebody or something involved in the subject's "performance" of the verb....
     of     by.)


A gerund phrase is a phrase consisting of a gerund and any adverbials and/or arguments; the gerund is the head of such a phrase:

  • My evening routine features jogging slowly around the block. (Here jogging slowly around the block is the direct object of features.)


Infinitives


In English, the infinitive verb form is often introduced by the particle
Grammatical particle

A particle, in grammar, is a function word that is not assignable to any of the traditional grammatical word classes . The term is a catch-all term for a heterogeneous set of elements and lacks a precise universal definition....
 to, as in to eat or to run. The resulting phrase can then function as a subject or object, or as a modifier.

  • To succeed takes courage, foresight, and luck. (Here to succeed is the subject of takes.)
  • I don't have time to waste. (Here to waste modifies time.)
  • Carol was invited to speak. (Here to speak is the object of invited.)
  • Do not stop to chat. (Here to chat functions as an adverb modifying stop.)


An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive and any related words.

  • Paul wanted to learn silk screening. (The infinitive phrase to learn silk screening is the object of wanted.)


See also


Other kinds of non-finite verbs

  • Gerundive
    Gerundive

    In linguistics, a gerundive is a particular verb form. The term is applied very differently to different languages; depending on the language, gerundives may be verbal adjectives, verbal adverbs, or finite verbs....
  • Supine
    Supine

    In grammar a supine is a form of verbal noun used in some languages....


Related topics

  • Finite verb
    Finite verb

    A finite verb is a verb that is Inflection for grammatical person and for grammatical tense according to the rules and categories of the languages in which it occurs....
  • Grammatical conjugation
    Grammatical conjugation

    In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb, noun or adjective from its principal parts by inflection . Conjugation may be affected by grammatical person, grammatical number, grammatical gender, grammatical tense, Grammatical aspect, grammatical mood, grammatical voice, or other grammatical category....
  • Lexical category
    Lexical category

    In grammar, a lexical category is a linguistic category of words , which is generally defined by the syntactic or morphology behaviour of the lexical item in question....
  • Verb phrase
    Verb phrase

    In linguistics, a verb phrase or VP is a syntax structure composed of the predicate sentence element of a Sentence and functions in providing information about the subject of the sentence....
  • Verbal noun
    Verbal noun

    A verbal noun is a noun formed directly as an inflexion of a verb or a verb Stem , sharing at least in part its constructions. This term is applied especially to gerunds, and sometimes also to infinitives and supines....
  • Balancing and deranking
    Balancing and deranking

    In linguistics, balancing and deranking are terms used to describe the form of verbs used in various types of subordinate clauses and also sometimes in co-ordinate constructions....


Bibliography

  • Dodds, Jack (2006). The Ready Reference Handbook, 4th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc.. ISBN 0-321-33069-2
  • Rozakis, Laurie (2003). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style, 2nd Edition. Alpha. ISBN 1-59257-115-8


External links

  • Owl Online Writing Lab: