PRESIDIUM INDIRAPURAM

GRADE VIII
ENGLISH
NON-FINITE VERBS

Verbs can be finite or non-finite. Finite verbs change their form when there is a change in the
subject or the tense.
Study the examples given below.

• I work hard for my family.

The verb work becomes works when the subject is a singular noun/pronoun.

• Maya works hard for her family.

• He works hard for his family.

Work becomes worked when the sentence is in the past tense.

• I worked very hard yesterday.

• He worked very hard yesterday.
• Maya worked very hard yesterday.

Such verbs which change their form are called finite verbs.

Non-finite verbs do not change their form when there is a change in the number or person of the
subject. Examples are: to-infinitives and –ing forms.

• I need a pen to write.

• He needs a pen to write.
• Rani needs a pen to write.
• Ravi needed a pen to write.

Here the verb need is finite because it has different forms (need, needs, needed) whereas the
verb to write is non-finite.

Non –Finite verbs are of three kinds:

(1) Infinitive: The Infinitive is the base form of the verb. It is often used with ‘to’ or without
‘to’. The infinitives with ‘to’ are called ‘to-infinitives’ and the Infinitives without ‘to’ are called
bare- infinitives.

Example of to-infinitive: David and I agreed to meet at two o’clock.

Example of bare-infinitive: We should meet at two o’clock.

(2) Participle: The Participles act as the adjective of the noun or the pronoun. There are two
kinds of Participles:
Present Participles are formed by adding ‘-ing’ to the base verb.

Example: The breaking news caught my attention.

Past Participles are formed by adding -d, -ed, -en, -t or –n to the base verb.

Example: The stolen vehicle was found.

(3) Gerund: The ‘-ing’ form of the verb which is used as a noun is called a Gerund. It is also
called a verbal noun.

Example: Painting is my hobby.

Using Gerunds:

A Gerund is a verb form ending in –ing

Gerunds are considered as Non-Finite verbs. That means they cannot form a clause.

Although Gerunds are formed from verbs, they are used as nouns. In other words, by adding –
ing to a verb, you can change it into a noun.

Examples:

Act (verb) > Acting (noun)

Play (verb) > Playing (noun)

Gerunds after Prepositions

A Gerund can also be used as the object of a preposition. That means whenever a verb follows a
preposition, use the –ing form.

Example: She is interested in learning classical music.

Here, Gerund ‘learning’ acts as the object of the preposition ‘in’.

Gerund after Verbs

Some verbs are also followed by Gerunds. Common examples of these verbs are: admit, advise,
avoid, consider, deny, delay, discuss, enjoy, finish, keep, recommend, postpone, regret, risk,
suggest, tolerate.

Examples:

a) She denied stealing the money. b) He admitted being jealous of his brother.

To form negatives, we put ‘not’ before the Gerund.

Example: I regret not listening to the doctor.

 PRACTICE EXERCISES

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb given in the brackets.

i. I forgot to post the letters yesterday.

ii. The doctor advised him to quit smoking.
iii. My landlady ___________ (tell) me _________________ (play) music at low volumes.
iv. Raju _____________ (go) abroad _______________ (pursue) higher education.
v. She _________________ (run) into the room ________________ (cry)
vi. My brother _______________ (like) ____________________ (read) detective novels.
vii. My children _____________ (not like) __________________ (get) up early in the morning.
viii. She ________________ (request) me __________________ (help) her with the homework.
ix. They children are busy ________________________ (do) their homework.
x. I still _________________ (remember) ________________ (buy) my first bicycle.
xi. She __________________ (remind) me of a girl I was at school with.
xii. _________________ (have) lost much blood, the driver _______________ (struggle) with
the controls.
2. Join each pair of sentences by using infinitives.

i. He did not have even a penny with him. He could not buy a loaf of bread.
________________________________________________________________________.
ii. Every cricket team has a captain. He leads other players.
_________________________________________________________________________.
iii. You must part with your belongings. Only on this condition you can save your life.
_________________________________________________________________________.
iv. He went to England. He wanted to learn English.
__________________________________________________________________________.
v. The robber took out a knife. He wanted to frighten the traveler.
__________________________________________________________________________.
vi. I speak the truth. I am not afraid of it.
___________________________________________________________________________.
vii. He wants to be a millionaire. He works hard for that reason.
__________________________________________________________________________
viii. He has five children. He must provide for them.
___________________________________________________________________________.
ix. He collects old stamps. It is his hobby.
_________________________________________________________________________.
x. That young man has squandered away all his wealth. He must have been foolish.
__________________________________________________________________________.
 3. Use gerunds in the following sentences:
i. Always check the oil, before you start the car.
____________________________________________________________________________.
ii. To praise all alike is to praise none.
____________________________________________________________________________.
iii. I cannot go on to do nothing.
____________________________________________________________________________.
iv. To amass wealth ruins health.
____________________________________________________________________________.
v. To see is to believe.
____________________________________________________________________________.
vi. To give is better than to receive.
____________________________________________________________________________.
vii. To talk like this is foolish.
____________________________________________________________________________.
viii. She loves to sing songs.
____________________________________________________________________________.
ix. The miser hated to spend money.
____________________________________________________________________________.
x. I am tired to wait.
_________________________________________________________________________.

4. Join the following sentences using Gerunds:

i. I watch airplanes take off. It is very relaxing.

____________________________________________________________________________.
ii. Jaison got hit by the ball. That sent Jaison to the hospital.
____________________________________________________________________________.
iii. You should brush your teeth twice daily. This is what all dentists recommend.
____________________________________________________________________________.
iv. Franklin was warned about drinking and driving. It forced him to be much more careful on
the highway.
____________________________________________________________________________.
v. She wants to be a journalist. It is her dream.
____________________________________________________________________________.
vi. You have to take the TOEFL. It is the only way to get into that college.
________________________________________________________________________.
vii. We have studied Spanish. This helped us on our trip to Barcelona.
____________________________________________________________________________.
viii. Tom Lee took lots of biology classes. Those helped him in medical school.
____________________________________________________________________________.
ix. The boys always get in trouble. That isn't any fun.
____________________________________________________________________________.
x. People cry. That can make your whole face red.
____________________________________________________________________________.

5. Join the following sentences using Participles:

i. The thief cut through the padlock. He opened the wooden door.
_________________________________________________________________________
ii. The pilot banked sharply. She managed to avoid the buildings.
_________________________________________________________________________
iii. He disguised himself as a cleaner. He entered the bank.
_________________________________________________________________________
iv. She drove as quickly as possible. She arrived just in time.
_________________________________________________________________________
v. The lightning flashed vividly. It struck the church steeple.
_________________________________________________________________________
vi. The car was damaged in the accident. It needed a new door.
_________________________________________________________________________
vii. The boat was tossed up and down. It developed a leak.
_________________________________________________________________________
viii. I was impressed by the team. I stayed for the whole match.
_________________________________________________________________________
ix. She was pleased with her present. She gave him a hug.
_________________________________________________________________________
x. He was stuck in the rain. He could not move out of the office.
__________________________________________________________________________.