We can define nonfinite verb as “A nonfinite verb is any of several verb forms that are not finite verbs; that is, they cannot serve as the root of an independent clause”.
Explanation
Nonfinite verb differs from the finite verb in many ways. It cannot be used in the sentence as root of an independent clause. They are also called as verbals and divided into three types such as infinitives, participles and gerunds. More than one nonfinite verb can be used in the sentence with finite verb.
Nonfinite verb is a type of verb without a subject and it doesn’t show the tense or number in sentence. Nonfinite verbs do not work as predicate verb in a sentence. Nonfinite verbs do not indicate the action of subject or noun, tense, mood or gender in the sentence. They are commonly used in the sentence as nouns, adverbs and adjectives as well as to form non-finite clauses. For example:
Following are examples showing the use of nonfinite verbs in the sentence:
Nonfinite verbs are classified into three types such as:
Infinitives: Such type of nonfinite verb is considered the “base” form and uses word ‘to’ before them. It functions as noun phrases, or modifiers of nouns. Such as:
Participles: This type of nonfinite verb uses ‘-ing’ or ‘-ed’ as suffix. It is used as an adjective modifying the noun. Such as:
Gerunds: It appears in positions reserved for nouns. It also ends in ‘-ing’. They typically appear as the subject or object noun phrases. Such as:
Nonfinite verb exercises given below will help you in analyzing your knowledge about nonfinite verb. Just go through all the details given above about the nonfinite verb and check your skill by doing following exercises for nonfinite verb. We have used nonfinite verbs in the following sentences; you need to check your skill by identifying nonfinite verbs in each sentence:
Answers: 1 – reading, 2 – to live, 3 – go, 4 – gone, 5 – Going, 6 – go, 7 – gone, 8 – going, 9 – Reading, 10 – to talk, 11 – coming, 12 – go, 13 – go, 14 – Cooking, 15 – dropped, 16 – cooked, 17 – going, 18 – going, 19 – going, 20 – going, 21 – sleeping, 22 – going
Related Information:
Verb
Regular Verb
Irregular Verb
Subject-Verb Agreement
Modal Auxiliary Verbs
Intransitive Verbs
Transitive Verbs
Finite Verb
Stative Verb
Dynamic Verb
Auxiliary Verb
Lexical Verb