Verbals (Non-finite forms).

(Infinitive, Gerund and Participle).

The verb exists in 2 groups of forms –finite and non-finite forms which differ to a certain extent. The finite forms directly refer to a person or thing and name action definite from the point of view of person, time of the action and its relation with reality. The finite forms of the verbs have also subject with which they agree in number and person.

Eg: is doing

shall be doing

would have done

We may say here that the agent is definitely shown by the forms of the verb. The non-finite forms name actions without definitely showing the agent, the time of an action or its relation with reality.

Eg:. to examine – we cannot decide what the agent is and where the action takes place (non-finite).

Eg: I examined him yesterday (finite) but:

The doctor wants to examine (non-finite) the sick boy.

All finite forms name agents. Consequently, the non-finite forms have no categories of person and mood, no category of number, and their category of tense differs greatly from that of the finite form. The Infinitive and the Gerund may be grouped together as having much in common, and the Participle should be taken separately. The infinitive and the gerund are supposed to be half-nouns and half-verbs. The infinitive has the category of aspect; there is a distinction between the common and the continuous aspect. The continuous infinitive is found, for example, in the following sentence: “He seems to be enjoying himself, quite a lot”.

With the gerund and the participle, on the other hand, things are different. Generally speaking, they exhibit no such distinction. Neither in the one nor in the other do we find continuous forms. The characteristics traits of the verbals are as follows:

– they have a double nature, nominal and verbal. The participle combines the characteristics of a verb and of an adjective, the gerund and the infinitive combine the characteristics of a verb and of a noun.

– the tense distinctions of verbals are not absolute (like those of the finite verb), but relative; the form of a verbal does not show whether the action it denotes refers to the present, past or future. It only shows whether the action expressed by the verbal is simultaneous with the action expressed by the finite verb or prior to it.

– all the verbals can form predicative constructions, i.e. constructions containing a nominal (noun or pronoun) and a verbal (participle or infinitive elements); the verbal element in predicate stands to the nominal element, in a relation similar to stands that between the subject and the predicate of the sentence. In most cases predicative constructions form syntactic units, serving as one part of the sentence. In the sentence a verbal may occur:

– singly, i.e. without accompanying word.

Eg: She sat frowning.

Reading is out of the question. – I can’t fix my attention on books.

Joining them is out of the question.

– in phrases, i.e. with one or several accompanying words (an object or an adverbial modifier to the verbal). These phrases form syntactic units serving as one part of the sentence. A phrase shouldn’t be confused with a predicative construction: between the elements of a phrase there is no predicative relation as it does not include a noun or pronoun denoting the doer of the action expressed by a verbal.

Eg: The windows of the drawing room overlooking the garden were closed.

She tried to calm him by smoothing the hand.

He said nothing to her mother to keep the secret for a while.

– in predicative constructions

Eg: She heard him unlocking the door and going out into the yard.

The crisis increasing unemployment, the living standard in the country dramatically fell.

Computerisation was certainly taken into account