Finite and Non-finite
Verbs
Truong Van Anh
Saigon University

In English there are fifty kinds of finite verbs: 12 basic tenses and 38
supplementary tenses.
He learns English. (Present simple)
She is sleeping. (Present continuous)
They have been happy. (Present perfect)
The students were studying the course very hard. (Past continuous)
Jack will fly to New York tomorrow. (Future simple)
I lived in the countryside (Past simple)
The dog had barked loudly before midnight. (Past perfect)
The workers will have finished the bridge by April. (Future perfect)

Supplementary tenses:
He is going to deposit some money in the bank tomorrow.
(Near future)
They said that they would come to help her.
(Future in the past)
Mary should have bought the car then.
(Modal perfect)
It is obligatory that he stay at home.
(Present sujunctive)
If he were here now, he would support us.
(Past subjunctive)

There are four forms of non-finite verbs divided into 7 groups
To V (Full infinitive), V (Bare infinitive), V-ing (Present participle), V-ed (Past
participle).

7 groups of non-finite verbs
1. V: after make, bid, let, etc.
Ex: He made them clean the toilets.
2. To V: order, cause, tell, etc.
Ex: He ordered them to clean the toilets.
3. V-ING: avoid, busy, worth, etc.
Ex: She avoids cooking in the kitchen.
4. V-ED (PP): (passive meaning) see, observe, etc
Ex: She saw a man hit by a car.

5. To V or V: help, know
Ex: He helped her wash the dishes.
He helped her to wash the dishes.
6. V or V-ING: verbs of perception: see, hear, etc
Ex: He heard her sing in the room.
He heard her singing in the room.
7. To V or V-ING: remember, forget, like, etc.
Ex: I remember lending you some money.
I remember to lend you some money.

Learning English, he feels happy.
Punished by the teacher, the boy cried bitterly.
She reads a book, lying in a hammock.
She reads a book lying on the table.
There are a lot of people living in the slums.
They let the boys play in the orchard.
They saw some crabs tied in the sink.
The door locked by the boss was yellow.
The car traveling forward carried the president.

Learning English, he feels confident to work for foreign companies.
Present participle (Adv)
Full infinitive (Adv)
Learning English makes him feel confident to work for foreign
companies.
Gerund (Subject)
Bare infinitive (C) Full infinitive (Adv)
The boy learning English feels confident to work for foreign companies.
Present participle (Attr)
Full infinitive (Adv)
To work for foreign companies is his ambition.
Full infinitive (Subject)
(C)
The first students to work for foreign companies feel proud.
Full infinitive (Attr)

Attacked by a dog, the girl becomes afraid of dogs. (Passive)
Past participle (Adv)
The girl attacked by a dog becomes afraid of dogs.
Past participle (Attr)
The dog attacking the girl looks fierce. (Active)
Present Participle (Attr)
He heard Quang Linh sing in the room. (Complete action)
Bare infinitive (C)
He heard Quang Linh singing in the room. (Incomplete action)
Present participle (C)

Non-finite verbs may be simple, continuous, perfect, active or
passive.
She likes to help us.
(Simple, active)
She likes to be helping us.
(Continuous, active)
She likes to have helped yesterday.
(perfect, active)
She likes to be helped by us.
(Simple, passive)

Good luck