A Study on Non-finite Subordinate Clauses

Abstract

The present study aims to explore the concepts of finite and non-finite. The term finite means ‘finished’ (from the Latin finitus) or ‘limited’. Traditionally, ‘finiteness’ is concerned with variation for person and number, and is applied to verbs, in which they take on different inflectional forms depending on the person and number of their Subjects. However, in present-day English it makes much more sense to speak of finite and non-finite clauses (or constructions), since the verbal paradigms contain almost no forms with distinct endings. As a generalization we can say that any clause that is tensed is also finite. However, not all finite clauses are tensed. Specifically, subjunctive clauses and imperative clauses are finite, but not tensed. Despite not containing a tensed verb, subjunctive clauses can be considered to be finite because they alternate with tensed clauses, and because they resemble the structure of typical tensed clauses in two respects: they must have a Subject, and they take the same subordinator as some tensed clauses do, namely that[1][11]. We distinguish four types of non-finite clause, namely to -infinitive clauses, bare infinitive clauses, - ing participle clauses, and past participle clauses. Such clauses do not carry tense.