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Si hoc legere scis, nimium eruditionis habes. (If you can read this, you have too much education.) |
Verbm
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Finite Forms (conjugated) |
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Non-Finite Forms (= Verbals = Verbids)
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Verbals
Verbals include three non-finite forms of the verb: the infinitive, the gerund and the participle.
Unlike the finite forms of the verb, they do not express the grammatical categories of person, number and mood. Therefore they cannot be used as the predicate of the sentence.
The main characteristics of the verbals
1. Their syntactical functions differ from those of the finite verb and are typical of parts of speech other than the verb.
2. They are widely used in the so-called predicative constructions, consisting of two elements – nominal and verbal. The components are related to each other like the subject and the predicate of the sentence. They make up a syntactical unit (or a complex) treated as one part of the sentence.
3. Verbals have relative tense distinctions showing whether the action expressed by the verb is simultaneous with, or prior to the action expressed by the finite verb. Thus they have non-perfect and perfect forms.
4. They also express the category of voice represented by the opposition of active and passive forms.
5. Like all other verbs, verbals take objects and are associated with adverbial modifiers.
1. Forms of verbals
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PASSIVE VOICE |
PERFECT |
to have been written |
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having been written |
having been written |
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NON-PERFECT |
to be written |
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being written |
being written | |
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ACTIVE VOICE |
PERFECT |
to have written |
to have been writing |
having written |
having written |
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NON-PERFECT |
to write |
to be writing |
writing |
writing | |
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ASPECT |
NON-CONTINUOUS |
CONTINUOUS |
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INFINITIVE |
GERUND |
PARTICIPLE | ||
2. Meaning of verbals
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NOTE |
After the verbs “remember”, “forget”, “forgive”, “thank” the NON-PERFECT GERUND is used in spite of the priority of its action to that of the finite verb. I remember going to the library once. Forgive me for taking so much of your time. |
After the verb “be to”, “expect”, “hope”, “intend”, mean”, “ought”, “should”, the PERFECT INFINITIVE is used to denote an action which was not carried out. The concert was to have taken place yesterday, but was postponed. |
The verbs which cannot be used in the Continuous have no form of the Continuous Infinitive. The verbs which cannot be used in the Continuous have no form of the Perfect Continuous Infinitive. |
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EXAMPLE |
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The students pretended to be listening. In fact they were sleeping.
It seems to have been raining for ages. |
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MEANING |
The NON-PERFECT Infinitive/Gerund/Participle I is used to denote: 1) a general action; 2) a repeated, habitual action; 3) an action which refers to the future; 4) an action which occurs simultaneously with that of the finite verb; 5) an immediate succession of the action in the sentence. |
The PERFECT Infinitive/Gerund/Participle I is used to denote an action which is prior to that of the finite verb. |
The CONTINUOUS Infinitive is used to denote an action in progress which occurs simultaneously with that of the finite verb. The PERFECT CONTINUOUS Infinitive is used to denote an action which lasted for a period of time before the action of the finite verb. |