Types of Non-Finite Clauses
Non-finite Clauses
There are three kinds of non-finite clauses, namely those whose verb groups contain infinitives, or present participles, or past participles. We’ll first consider infinitives. In (1), there are two lexical verbs, expected and go. This means there are two clauses, which I have put brackets around. The non-finite clause her to go is the object of expected. This non-finite clause can of course be rephrased by means of a finite clause, as in (2):
(1) [I expected [her to go]].
(2) [I expected [that she would go]].
The infinitive implies something uncertain or something that will happen in the future perhaps. The corresponding main clause therefore has a modal would, expressing a similar uncertainty. There are two types of infinitives: one with to, as in (1), and a bare one, without to, as in (3). The bare infinitive lacks the uncertainty:
(3) She made [him leave].
The bare infinitive in (3) occurs only as the object after verbs such as make, see, hear, and feel. The to-infinitive is much more frequent. It occurs as object to many verbs, as subject, subject predicate, and adverbial, as we’ll see. The infinitival clause with to frequently has a for as complementizer, as in (4), or an in order, as in (5), that connects the infinitival clause to the main clause:
(4) I expected [for him to be scared … ]
(5) [In order to understand the legislative process], it is necessary first of all to know something about the nature of the lawmaking body itself.
As we’ll see when we draw the Verb Group for the non-finite clause, to will be put inside this Verb Group since it is similar to a modal. If you want to name it, call it an infinitive marker. I abbreviate it as ‘inf ’. Apart from infinitives, there are two other kinds of non-finite Verb Groups, usually referred to as participles. They involve the present participle ending in -ing, as in
(6), and the past participle ending in -ed or -en, as in
(7). Again, I have bracketed the clauses
There are three kinds of non-finite clauses, namely those whose verb groups contain infinitives, or present participles, or past participles. We’ll first consider infinitives. In (1), there are two lexical verbs, expected and go. This means there are two clauses, which I have put brackets around. The non-finite clause her to go is the object of expected. This non-finite clause can of course be rephrased by means of a finite clause, as in (2):
(1) [I expected [her to go]].
(2) [I expected [that she would go]].
The infinitive implies something uncertain or something that will happen in the future perhaps. The corresponding main clause therefore has a modal would, expressing a similar uncertainty. There are two types of infinitives: one with to, as in (1), and a bare one, without to, as in (3). The bare infinitive lacks the uncertainty:
(3) She made [him leave].
The bare infinitive in (3) occurs only as the object after verbs such as make, see, hear, and feel. The to-infinitive is much more frequent. It occurs as object to many verbs, as subject, subject predicate, and adverbial, as we’ll see. The infinitival clause with to frequently has a for as complementizer, as in (4), or an in order, as in (5), that connects the infinitival clause to the main clause:
(4) I expected [for him to be scared … ]
(5) [In order to understand the legislative process], it is necessary first of all to know something about the nature of the lawmaking body itself.
As we’ll see when we draw the Verb Group for the non-finite clause, to will be put inside this Verb Group since it is similar to a modal. If you want to name it, call it an infinitive marker. I abbreviate it as ‘inf ’. Apart from infinitives, there are two other kinds of non-finite Verb Groups, usually referred to as participles. They involve the present participle ending in -ing, as in
(6), and the past participle ending in -ed or -en, as in
(7). Again, I have bracketed the clauses
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