Finite Verb
Phonetics:
faɪnaɪt ' vɜːb
Pronunciation:
Cracking the Code: Exploring Finite Verbs in English Grammar
Comprehensive Definition, Description, Examples & Rules
Introduction to Finite Verbs:
You may be an expert at employing finite verbs if you are a native English speaker. For native speakers, finite verbs rarely lead to mistakes. A finite verb, which must agree with the subject and exhibit the appropriate tense, is at the core of every phrase, therefore understanding finite verbs is crucial if you’re learning or teaching English. Based on how they behave when used with a subject in a sentence, verbs are classified as either finite or non-finite. You will learn about finite verbs in this post and examples will be provided to help you understand how to utilise them.
Working with finite verbs requires you to pay close attention to the fact that they always have a subject. Always make sure the verb and the subject are in agreement. Keep in mind that the clause may stand alone as an independent clause if a finite verb is used.
Definition of Finite Verbs:
Let’s define finite verb, It can be in the present tense or the past tense and agrees with a subject. If a verb is the only verb in a phrase or the main component of the main clause, finite verbs are easy to spot. They may even be verbs of imperative form!
Finite verbs are those that communicate the subject’s outlook, tense, number, and person while also agreeing with the subject. On the contrary, non-finite verbs can be employed in the present participle, past participle, or indefinite forms to accomplish certain tasks in a phrase even when they do not correspond with the subject.
Characteristics of Finite verb :
- The finite verb is one of the most basic grammatical structures there is, making it perfect for the majority of academic works.
- It only requires that you choose a subject, conjugate a verb to go with it, and then use that verb to describe what that subject has done.
- The finite verb form serves this basic grammatical aim, which is what the verb in general does.
- The essential thing to keep in mind is to conjugate the finite verb correctly based on the sentence’s tense and the subject’s characteristics.
- The infinitive form and the non-finite form can be usefully contrasted with the finite verb form. Instead of the conjugated finite verb form “he went,” the infinitive would simply be the word “to go.” Like the word “running” in the sentence “He went running,” the non-finite form may be more closely related to the finite verb than to the sentence’s subject.
- The immediate association of the finite verb form with a subject makes it distinctive and allows it to perform a very fundamental grammatical task.
Person agreement: In terms of determining who is carrying out the act it states, a finite verb is also finite. This property of verbs is referred to as a subject in grammarian terminology. The finite verb indicates whether I, you, or someone else is performing the action in its finite condition.
Eg:
- I am studying – First person
- You are studying – Second person
- He/She is studying – Third person
Tense & Number agreement: When determining how many individuals or objects are carrying out the verb-like activity, a finite verb is limited. In grammatical parlance, we refer to this property of verbs as numbers. The finite verb is singular if there is just one entity performing the action. The finite verb is used in the plural if above one person or entity is performing the action.
Eg:
- I am (first-person singular)
- We are (first-person plural)
- The girl sings (third-person singular)
- The girls sing (third-person plural)
Finite Verb Use in Sentences: How Do You Do It?
If you wish to correctly employ finite verbs, you need to keep a few things in mind.
- Working with finite verbs requires you to pay close attention to the fact that they always have a subject.
- Always make sure the verb and the subject are in agreement.
- Keep in mind that the clause may stand alone as an independent clause if a finite verb is used.
- Make sure to correctly conjugate the finite verb according to the situation the activity is occurring in.
Examples of Finite Verbs
The auxiliary verbs can, must, have, and we are frequently seen in sets of phrases called finite verbs. Examples include: can be suffering, must eat will have left. Usually, finite verbs come after their subjects:
- He croaks.
- He had been compromised by the materials.
- They’ll already be gone.
Finite verb and sentence structure
The main verb of a phrase, which identifies the main function performed by the subject in a specific situation, is frequently a finite verb. A phrase containing a verb or independent segment that may stand independently in a statement and still make meaning can contain finite verbs.
A simple statement is one that simply uses a single finite verb. There has to be a minimum of two finite verbs in a complex phrase. The supporting conjunction is used to connect these two short statements.
- My mom likes to drink coffee in the morning – Declarative sentence
- Where can I get the tickets? – Interrogative sentence
- Open the door, please – Imperative sentence
Subject-Verb Agreement with Finite Verbs
Here are a few fundamental guidelines you can adhere to to ensure that you are correctly employing the finite verb form in subject-verb agreement.
Usually, the finite verb comes right after the subject. For instance, in the sentence “The dog ran,” the finite verb ran comes just after the word “dog.” So, if you think about the relationship between the words in a sentence in this way, you should be able to identify the finite verb.
The subject of a finite verb may occasionally be assumed rather than explicitly stated. The subject “you” is frequently just implicit in English orders, for instance, where this is frequently the case. The same is true for some shorthand phrases. For instance, you might inform a friend, “Will meet you for lunch,” leaving the subject “I” unstated.
Non-Finite Verbs Vs Finite:
Finite verbs are those that have the past tense or the present tense. Nonfinite verbs are verbs that take any other form, such as the infinitive, the -ing, or the -ed. In general, a word is a non-finite verb if it ends in -ing, occurs after “to,” or follows a finite verb in a verb phrase. These verbs are crucial for completing a sentence’s overall structure but not for determining the subject or the difference between the present and the past tense. Therefore, tense-containing verbs are finite, but tense-free verbs are non-finite.
Finite verbs and nonfinite verbs are fundamentally different from one another in that the former can serve as the root of an independent clause or a complete sentence while the latter cannot.
Take the sentence that follows, for instance:
- The woman walks to the store to get an ice cream.
Because it agrees with the subject (women) and indicates the tense (present tense), “walks” is a finite verb. Because it does not agree with the subject or indicate the tense, “get” is a nonfinite verb. It is an infinitive that is dependent on the main word “walks.” We can see that “walks” can function as the root of an independent clause by condensing this sentence:
- Woman walks to the store to get an ice cream
The infinitive, the participle, or the gerund are the three forms that nonfinite verbs can take. The base form of a verb, which includes the infinitive form (such as “to get” in the example above), is frequently introduced by a main verb and the preposition “to,” as in the following example:
- He was looking for a fix
When the perfect or continuous tense is used, as it is in the following sentence:
- He is trying to find a fix
The gerund form also emerges when the verb is used as an object or subject, as in the following example:
- He takes pleasure in looking for answers
Examples of Finite Verbs
- Every day James does the laundry (in the present tense).
- Even Dave completed the laundry yesterday.
- Josie, do the washing! (imperative)
Examples of Non-Finite Verbs
Look at some non-finite verb examples to better comprehend finite verbs:
- I washed the clothes (when used with the finite verb have).
- I’ll do the laundry (With the finite verb will)
- I want to handle the laundry! (Used in conjunction with the finite verb wish)
Common Errors and Challenges with Finite Verbs:
The Present Tense Forms Are Confusing: The present tense has scary titles that stand in for the many present tense verb forms. There are four distinct verb tenses in the present. Despite how similar they are, they cannot be used interchangeably. Here is a breakdown of when to use each present tense form, along with examples of phrases using the verb “to work” in each present tense form to show how it should be used.
The fact that “my friend works there” indicates that it is a routine action. The friend works there regularly; she is not just a temporary employee. Beyond that, it is a factual assertion.
Using Variable Verb Forms
Inconsistent verb forms are one of the easiest ways to mislead your readers. The use of a verb tense that is inappropriate for the sentence or wider context in which it is used constitutes this verb tense mistake.
verb tenses used incoherently: We were travelling to school. The sky suddenly darkens. (The verb tense is incoherent because “were” is past tense and “turns” is present tense.)
Do you feel a little more at ease using different verb tenses now? The truth is that you’ll employ the correct verb tense in your writing more often if you love reading works by respected authors who are fluent in English. It’ll become instinctive. Learn more about verb conjugation to boost your confidence. After learning about verb tenses, it’s time to move on to another grammatical topic.
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Key Takeaways
- Based on how they behave when used with a subject in a sentence, verbs are classified as either finite or non-finite.
- A finite verb can be in the present tense or the past tense and agrees with a subject.
- Nonfinite verbs are verbs that take any other form, such as the infinitive, the -ing, or the -ed.
- Finite verbs and nonfinite verbs are fundamentally different from one another in that the finite verb can serve as the root of an independent clause or a complete sentence while the non-finite verb cannot.
- The main verb of a phrase, which identifies the main function performed by the subject in a specific situation, is a finite verb.
Quiz
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Frequently Asked Questions
Finite verbs are those that communicate the subject’s mood, tense, number, and person while also agreeing with the subject. On the other hand, non-finite verbs can be used in the present participle, past participle, or infinitive forms to accomplish certain tasks in a phrase even when they do not agree with the subject.
A finite verb can be in the present tense or the past tense and agrees with a subject. The major verbs in the sentence are also referred to as finite verbs. Regarding tense and number, these are directly related to the sentence’s subject.
- You’ll be charged for it.
- (“Will” is the finite verb and modal auxiliary verb. The simple present tense of “pay” is “to pay.”
- Mannu ought to have declined.
- The modal auxiliary verb “should” is also a finite verb. The bare infinitive is “have”. The verb “said” is past tense.)
- Whatever I want to think is fine.
- (“Can” is the finite verb and modal auxiliary verb)
Finite verbs can be used with all main verbs. To indicate the appropriate verb/tense that agrees with the subject doing the action in a sentence, it must be conjugated.
The main verb of a sentence, which identifies the primary action performed by the subject in a specific situation, is frequently finite. Finite verbs can be found in verb phrases or independent clauses that can function on their own inside the text while continuing to make sense.
Simply adding the term “not” to the statement’s verb is the easiest basic technique to make a negative sentence. It is also the quickest way to identify a poor phrase.
For instance: I do not have drinks to have today.
One of the most frequent mistakes made with verbs is the incorrect verb tense. It is when a statement has an incorrect verb. Because they specify the timing of an action or an event, tenses are significant. The incorrect action tense will convey the incorrect message.
