Sub-Categorization of Verbs

GRAMMAR REVIEW
I. Finite vs. Non-finite
Verbs
In English, verbs can be
categorized into
“Finite Verbs”
and
“Non-finite Verbs”
 FINITE VERBS NON-FINITE VERBS
1. Acts as a verb 1. Does not act as a verb
2. Acts as the main verb of a 2. Does not act as the main verb
clause of a clause
3. Indicates person, number, and 3. Does not indicate person,
tense number, or tense
4. Takes a subject and object 4. Does not take a subject but
can have an object
NON-FINITE Non-finite verbs are of three types:
VERBS • 1. Present participle
• 2. Past participle
• 3. The infinitive
 This is the form which ends in ing and is
used together with verb to be to form the
continuous tense.
• E.g. He is working. {Here, working is a present participle
that has been combined with verb to be in the present
1. Present (is) to form the present continuous tense}
participle: • E.g. He was working. {Here, working is also a present
participle that has been combined with verb to be in the
past (was) to form the past continuous tense}

As you see, the present participle, although named as

‘present’ does not really have any tense of its own.

It must be combined with verb to be whether in the past or

present to become a real verb with tense.
 This is the form used to make perfect and
passive tense.
• E.g. He has finished. {Here, finished is a past participle that
has been combined with has to form the present perfect
tense}
• E.g. He had finished before I came. {Here, finished is a past
participle that has been combined with had to form the past
perfect tense}
2. Past • E.g. The mail is sent every week {Here, sent is past participle
that has been combined with verb to be (is) to form the
participle present passive}
• E.g. The car was cleaned. {Here, cleaned is past participle
that has been combined with verb to be in the past (was) to
form the past passive}
Again here, you see that the past participle, although named as
‘past’ does not really have any tense of its own.
It must be combined with either some form of the verb have to
form the perfect tense, or some form of verb to be to form the
passive tense, whether in the past or present to become a real
verb with tense.
 This is the basic form of the verb

• The infinitive is usually preceded by two forms:

1. To infinitive: infinitives come after to

3. The • E.g. I wanted to go. {Here, go is the infinitive
form that has been preceded by to}
Infinitive 2. Modal verbs: infinitives also come after modal verbs
Form • E.g. He can swim. {Here, swim is an infinitive
because the modal verb can is before it}
• Modal verb are: will – would / can – could /
shall – should / may – might / must
 All other forms of a verb except the present
participle, the past participle and the infinitive
are finite verbs.
• In other words, the other forms of a verb in
FINITE VERBS the present or past (whether simple,
perfect or continuous) are finite verbs.

• E.g. He works – He worked {Here, works and

worked are finite verbs because they carry
tense}
 General Examples

• E.g., He is working.
{Here, is is a finite verb with a present tense, and working is a present participle non-finite
verb, and together they form the present continuous tense}
• E.g., He was working.
{Here, was is a finite verb with a past tense, and working is a present participle non-finite verb,
and together they form the past continuous tense}
• E.g., He has worked
{Here, has is a finite verb with a present tense, and worked is a past participle non-finite verb
and, together they form the present perfect tense}
• E.g., He had worked
{Here, had is a finite verb with a past tense, and worked is a past participle non-finite verb,
and together they form the past perfect tense}
• E.g., The room is/was cleaned.
{Here, is/was are finite verbs, and cleaned is a past participle non-finite verb, and together
they form the present/past passive.
II. Full vs. Auxiliary
Verbs
Auxiliary verbs in English are mainly two
classes:

1. Primary Aux Verbs = Be, Do, and Have

2. Modal verbs
 Present Past Present- Past- Infinitive
Verb participle participle
(finite) (finite) (non-finite) (non-finite) (non-finite)

Be am – is – are was - Being been be

were

Do do – does Did doing done do

Have has – have Had Having had have

 According to what we said above
about finite and non-finite verbs…

When these three When they are used in

verbs (be/have/do) are their present participle,
used in their present past participle and
and past forms, they infinitive forms they
are finite are non-finite
 Modal Verbs

•Modal verbs are always

followed by the infinitive
can – will – shall – may –
form of the verb.
could would should might
•Modal verbs are always must
finite auxiliary verbs [v:f]
Remember that
auxiliary verbs ∙ -'m for am, in I'm (for I am)
can be ∙ -'s for is, as in it's (for it is), the
man's (for the man is, although the same
abbreviated / form is used for the possessive),
contracted. and she's (for she is)
When they are, ∙ -'re for are, mostly
in we're, you're and they're
they still ∙ -'ve for auxiliary have, mostly
function exactly in I've, you've, we've and they've
∙ -'s for auxiliary has (the examples given
as their full above for is could also be intended as it
forms. has, the man has and she has)
∙ -'d for auxiliary had or would, mostly
in I'd, you'd, she'd, he'd, it'd, we'd, they'd a
nd who'd -'ll for will (sometimes interpreted
as shall)
All other verbs besides auxiliaries are
Full Verbs
However, the
primary” auxiliary verbs—be,
have, and do—can also be
used as a main verb in a
clause.
 Primary” auxiliary verb as main verb in a clause.
∙ To Be
∙ Margaret is a brilliant student. (Main verb: copula)
∙ Margaret is/was applying to Yale. (Auxiliary verb: progressive tenses)
∙ To Have
∙ Frank has a good job. (Main verb: own or possess)
∙ Frank has just returned from a business trip. (Auxiliary verb: present perfect)
∙ Frank had arrived before John. (Auxiliary verb: past perfect)
∙ To Do
∙ Nana does the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper. (Main verb)
∙ Nana doesn't go out much anymore. (Auxiliary verb: negative)
∙ Does Nana go out much? (Auxiliary verb: interrogative)
Types of Tenses in
English
 In the English language there are
two general types of tenses:

Compound
Simple tenses:
tenses: which
which consist of
consist of more
one verb
than one verb
 Simple Tenses

Simple Tenses Examples

1. Present simple She sings
1. Past simple She sang
1. Future simple She will.
 Compound Tenses

Future simple She will sing

Present continuous She is singing
Present perfect She has sung
Present perfect continuous She has been singing
Past continuous She was singing
Past perfect She had sung
Past perfect continuous She had been singing
Future continuous She will be singing
Future perfect She will have sung
Future perfect continuous She will have been singing
Past conditional He must/could/should/would have been hurt
Now that you have been introduced to, and
hopefully understood, the necessary
background grammatical knowledge of these
classifications of verbs, and tenses, we can
now move on to see how these classifications
are dealt with in our Word Grammar Syntax
course in chapters 6 and 7.