0
Anonymous Posted 20 years ago
Linguistics Studies
non- Finite clause
Hey all.
My name is Aysha
I am an EFL student and I am studying Syntax right now.
I have question, which I hope you can help me with.
But first, I want to know more about what does non-finite clause means. I know that it is a sequence of words which lack a finite verb, but nonetheless are treated as a subordinate clause.
Actually, I feel that I don't understand what that means. In our text book (An Introduction to English Syntax-Jim Miller) the author says that non-finite clauses are limited in their grammar. He also says that they exclude interrogative and imperative construction. Also, they don't allow prepositional phrase fronting or negative fronting.
So what constructions do non-finite clauses allow?
I don't even feel that I understand what a non-finite clause is?
Waiting for your replies and comments.
Aysha
My name is Aysha
I am an EFL student and I am studying Syntax right now.
I have question, which I hope you can help me with.
But first, I want to know more about what does non-finite clause means. I know that it is a sequence of words which lack a finite verb, but nonetheless are treated as a subordinate clause.
Actually, I feel that I don't understand what that means. In our text book (An Introduction to English Syntax-Jim Miller) the author says that non-finite clauses are limited in their grammar. He also says that they exclude interrogative and imperative construction. Also, they don't allow prepositional phrase fronting or negative fronting.
So what constructions do non-finite clauses allow?
I don't even feel that I understand what a non-finite clause is?
Waiting for your replies and comments.
Aysha
Top answer
htm#fin I think of a non-finite verb as a "naked verb" -- it is not clothed in information such as having a subject (which would require agreement for person) or time (it is tenseless). " It is finite because the verb has a subject ('everyone') and has a tense (past tense). The non-finite example is: Everyone promised to send their friends birthday cards this year.
- htm#fin I think of a non-finite verb as a "naked verb" -- it is not clothed in information such as having a subject (which would require agreement for person) or time (it is tenseless).
- " It is finite because the verb has a subject ('everyone') and has a tense (past tense).
- The non-finite example is: Everyone promised to send their friends birthday cards this year.
- It is non-finite because 'to send' does not have an explicit subject (although transformational grammar had an elaborate analysis of verb complementation to show that the deep structure subject is 'everyone') and the verb has no tense.
- Because it is timeless and does not have an explicit subject, the infinitive 'to send' is quite 'naked' as a verb, suspended in space and time with nothing to tie it down!
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
Have you tried this site: http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/****/tta/sentence/sentence.htm#fin
I think of a non-finite verb as a "naked verb" -- it is not clothed in information such as having a subject (which would require agreement for person) or time (it is tenseless).
I think of a non-finite verb as a "naked verb" -- it is not clothed in information such as having a subject (which would require agreement for person) or time (it is tenseless).
0
Related Questions