FINITE/NON-FINITE VERBS

A finite verb is a complete verb, meaning it possesses both a subject and a tense.
- Example: "He walked."
  - "He" is the subject performing the action.
  - "walked" is the past tense form of the verb, indicated by the "-ed" suffix.
Certain verbs cannot stand alone to form a finite clause; they require the assistance of auxiliary verbs (also known as helping verbs) to achieve finiteness.
- Incorrect Example: "He walking." In this instance, "He" is the subject, but there is no indication of tense (it's unclear if the action is happening now or in the past, e.g., "Is walking?" "Was walking?").
- Correct Example: "He was walking."
  - "He" is the subject.
  - "Was" functions as the auxiliary verb.
  - "Walking" is the main verb.
  - Together, "was walking" forms the finite verb phrase, conveying both subject and past continuous tense.

Present Participles
- These are verbs ending in "-ing" (often referred to as "-ing words").
- They can never function as finite verbs on their own; they exclusively require an auxiliary verb to provide tense to the sentence.
- Example: "He is swimming in the gala."
  - "Swimming" is the present participle, but "is" provides the present continuous tense, making the entire phrase finite.
Infinitives
- Infinitives are always characterized by the particle "to" preceding the base form of the verb (e.g., "to swim", "to run").
- Like present participles, they necessitate another verb within the sentence to render the entire verb phrase finite.
- Example: "I am going to swim this afternoon."
  - "To swim" is the infinitive, but "am going" provides the finite tense.
Further Reference: For more details, consult the Handbook on page 28 and "10 Stars Worksheets" 15 and 25.