Verbs usually act like verbs. But sometimes, they wear costumes. They disguise themselves as Nouns, Adjectives, or Adverbs. When they do, they become Non-Finite.
Most verbs (Finite Verbs) are "limited" by time (tense) and people (subject). Non-Finite verbs are rebels. They don't care what time it is, and they don't care who is doing the action. They never change their form based on the subject.
Changes when the subject or time changes.
Notice how "want" changes to "wants" and "wanted".
Stays exactly the same, no matter what.
"To eat" remains perfectly frozen. It's an Infinitive!
Select a type to see its costume and powers.
Formula: Verb + ing
The Disguise: It looks like a verb, but it acts 100% like a Noun.
Examples:
"Running" is usually an action. But if you turn it into a hobby name, it's a Gerund. "I love Running" is the same grammar structure as "I love Pizza".
Formula: To + Base Verb
The Disguise: The most versatile shapeshifter. Can be a Noun, Adjective, or Adverb.
Examples:
Infinitives often explain why something happened. "He ran to catch the bus." (Why did he run? To catch it).
Formula: Verb + ing (Present) OR Verb + ed/en (Past)
The Disguise: Acts mainly as an Adjective to describe nouns, or helps create complex verb tenses.
Examples:
Both end in -ing. How to tell them apart?
If it names an activity (Noun) -> Gerund.
If it describes a noun (Adjective) -> Participle.
We analyzed how much "DNA" of other parts of speech each non-finite verb possesses. See how they overlap.
Data represents functional usage distribution in standard grammar.
They have 100% Noun DNA. You can use them as subjects, objects, or after prepositions. They rarely act as adjectives.
They stretch across the map. They can function as Nouns ("To err is human"), Adjectives ("Way to go"), or Adverbs ("Easy to please").
Their main job, when not building verb tenses, is description. "The running water" or "The bored student".
Analyze the sentence below. Can you spot the Non-Finite verbs?