Participle and Infinitive Phrases / Non-finite subordinate clauses

Question 1

What are non-finite verb forms?

Answer 1

Non-finite verbs:
- do not show tense or modality
- they appear as gerunds, infinitives or participles

Question 2

What types of complements can follow verbs?

Answer 2

• Adjective phrase (He seems very nice.)
• Noun phrase (She became the treasurer.)
• Nominative pronoun (It was he who said it.)
• That-clause (He thought that the moon was made of cheese.)
• Non-finite verb forms (He wants to write a novel.)

Question 3

What structures can non-finite verbs take?

Answer 3

• Perfective (have + past participle)
• Progressive (be + -ing participle)
• Passive voice (be + past participle)

Question 4

Examples with “to repair” (infinitive form):

Answer 4

• Perfective: to have repaired
• Progressive: to be repairing
• Passive: to be repaired
• Perfective + Progressive: to have been repairing
• Perfective + Passive:to have been repaired

Question 5

Examples with “to repair” (gerund/participle form):

Answer 5

• Perfective: having repaired
• Passive: being repaired
• Perfective + Passive: have been repaired

Question 6

What do the aspects mean?

Answer 6

• Perfective: action completed
• Progressive: Action ongoing
• Passive: Subject affected, not acting

Question 7

Non-finite subordinated clauses - types:

Answer 7

• -ing participle clause: (Leaving the motorway, we noticed a truck.)
• -ed participle clause: (Left for an hour, the stains dissolved)
• To-infinitive clause: (He returned to find the army retreating.)

Question 8

Meanings of participle clauses:

Answer 8

• Condition: Looked after carefully, the coat will last.
• Reason: Wanting to speak to him, I arranged a meeting.
• Result: Having spent too long on homework, I had no time to read.
• Time: Sitting at the café, I remembered the oven.

Question 9

Meanings of infinitive clauses:

Answer 9

• Defining (after superlatives): The youngest person to enter was 14.
• Purpose/Result: He took a year out to see the world

Question 10

What are dangling modifiers?

Answer 10

• a modifier with no clear subject, causing confusion
• e.g.: Having been thrown in the air, the dog caught the stick (Wrong! > implies the dog was thrown.)
• correct: The dog caught the stick that had been thrown.

Question 11

Exercise Example: Non-finite transformation

Answer 11

• Finite: I haven’t got a car, so I travel by bus.
• Non-finite: Not having a car, I usually travel by bus.