Finite Verb
Definition:
A finite verb is a verb that is inflected for person and for tense according to the rules and categories of the languages in which it occurs. Finite verbs can form independent clauses, which can stand by their own as complete sentences
The finite forms of a verb are the forms where the verb shows tense, person or number. Non-finite verb forms have no person or number, but some types can show tense.
• Finite verb forms include: I go, she goes, he went
• Non-finite verb forms include: to go, going, gone
Indo-European languages
In the Indo-European languages (such as English), only verbs in certain moods are finite. These include:
• the indicative mood (expressing a state of affairs); e. g., "The bulldozer demolished the restaurant," "The leaves were yellow and stiff."
• the imperative mood (giving a command); e. g., "Come here!", "Be a good boy!"
• the subjunctive mood (typically used in dependent clauses); e. g., "It was required that we go to the back of the line." (The indicative form would be "went".)
• the optative mood (expressing a wish or hope)
Verb forms that are not finite include:
• the infinitive
• the participles (e. g., "The broken window...", "The wheezing gentleman...")
• the gerund (e. g., "I like swimming.")
• the gerundive
• the supine
It might seem that every grammatically complete sentence or clause must contain a finite verb. However, sentences lacking a finite verb were quite common in the old Indo-European languages. The most important type of these are nominal sentences.[1]
Another type are sentence fragments described as phrases or minor sentences. In Latin and some Romance languages, there are a few words that can be used to form sentences without verbs, such as Latin ecce, Portuguese eis, French voici and voilà, and Italian ecco, all of these translatable as here ... is or here ... are. Some interjections can play the same role. Even in English, a sentence like Thanks for your help! has an interjection where it could have a subject and a finite verb form (compare I appreciate your help!).
Examples and Observations:
• "When you use a verb to form a sentence, you use it in its finite form, that is, its conjugated form. Verb conjugation will show tense, person, and number, as in She won the game (past tense, third person, singular) or They will run around the bases (future tense, third person, plural)."
(C. Edward Good, A Grammar Book for You and I--Oops, Me!, Capital Books, 2001)
• "Finite verbs can be recognized by their form and their position in the sentence. Here are some of the things to look for when you are trying to identify the finite verbs in a sentence:
1. Most finite verbs can take an -ed or a -d at the end of the word to indicate time in the past: cough, coughed; celebrate, celebrated. A hundred or so finite verbs do not have these endings [see Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs].
2. Nearly all finite verbs take an -s at the end of the word to indicate the present when the subject of the verb is third-person singular: cough, he coughs; celebrate, she celebrates. The exceptions are auxiliary verbs like can and must. Remember that nouns can also end in -s. Thus the dog races can refer to a spectator sport or to a fast-moving third-person singular dog.
3. Finite verbs are often groups of words that include such auxiliary verbs as can, must, have, and be: can be suffering, must eat, will have gone.
4. Finite verbs usually follow their subjects: He coughs. The documents had compromised him. They will have gone.
5. Finite verbs surround their subjects when some forms of a question are asked: Is he coughing? Did they celebrate?
A finite verb is a verb that is inflected for person and for tense according to the rules and categories of the languages in which it occurs. Finite verbs can form independent clauses, which can stand by their own as complete sentences
The finite forms of a verb are the forms where the verb shows tense, person or number. Non-finite verb forms have no person or number, but some types can show tense.
• Finite verb forms include: I go, she goes, he went
• Non-finite verb forms include: to go, going, gone
Indo-European languages
In the Indo-European languages (such as English), only verbs in certain moods are finite. These include:
• the indicative mood (expressing a state of affairs); e. g., "The bulldozer demolished the restaurant," "The leaves were yellow and stiff."
• the imperative mood (giving a command); e. g., "Come here!", "Be a good boy!"
• the subjunctive mood (typically used in dependent clauses); e. g., "It was required that we go to the back of the line." (The indicative form would be "went".)
• the optative mood (expressing a wish or hope)
Verb forms that are not finite include:
• the infinitive
• the participles (e. g., "The broken window...", "The wheezing gentleman...")
• the gerund (e. g., "I like swimming.")
• the gerundive
• the supine
It might seem that every grammatically complete sentence or clause must contain a finite verb. However, sentences lacking a finite verb were quite common in the old Indo-European languages. The most important type of these are nominal sentences.[1]
Another type are sentence fragments described as phrases or minor sentences. In Latin and some Romance languages, there are a few words that can be used to form sentences without verbs, such as Latin ecce, Portuguese eis, French voici and voilà, and Italian ecco, all of these translatable as here ... is or here ... are. Some interjections can play the same role. Even in English, a sentence like Thanks for your help! has an interjection where it could have a subject and a finite verb form (compare I appreciate your help!).
Examples and Observations:
• "When you use a verb to form a sentence, you use it in its finite form, that is, its conjugated form. Verb conjugation will show tense, person, and number, as in She won the game (past tense, third person, singular) or They will run around the bases (future tense, third person, plural)."
(C. Edward Good, A Grammar Book for You and I--Oops, Me!, Capital Books, 2001)
• "Finite verbs can be recognized by their form and their position in the sentence. Here are some of the things to look for when you are trying to identify the finite verbs in a sentence:
1. Most finite verbs can take an -ed or a -d at the end of the word to indicate time in the past: cough, coughed; celebrate, celebrated. A hundred or so finite verbs do not have these endings [see Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs].
2. Nearly all finite verbs take an -s at the end of the word to indicate the present when the subject of the verb is third-person singular: cough, he coughs; celebrate, she celebrates. The exceptions are auxiliary verbs like can and must. Remember that nouns can also end in -s. Thus the dog races can refer to a spectator sport or to a fast-moving third-person singular dog.
3. Finite verbs are often groups of words that include such auxiliary verbs as can, must, have, and be: can be suffering, must eat, will have gone.
4. Finite verbs usually follow their subjects: He coughs. The documents had compromised him. They will have gone.
5. Finite verbs surround their subjects when some forms of a question are asked: Is he coughing? Did they celebrate?
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