Lecture 1 Fundamentals of grammar

Lecture 6
Non-Finite Forms of the Verb
1. The infinitive and its properties. The categories of the infinitive.
2. The gerund and its properties. The categories of gerund. The notion of halfgerund.
3. The present participle, the past participle, and their properties.
Introductory
Verb forms make up two distinct classes: finites and non-finites, also called
verbals, verbids. Finites serve to express a primary predication, i.e. they ‘tie’ the
situation described by a proposition to the context. Non-finites serve to express a
secondary predication.
The non-finite forms of the verb combine the characteristics of the verb with
the characteristics of other parts of speech. Their mixed features are revealed in
their semantics, morphemic structural marking, combinability, and syntactic
functions.
The strict division of functions clearly shows that the opposition between the
finite and non-finite forms of the verb creates a special grammatical category. The
differential feature of the opposition is constituted by the expression of verbal time
and mood: the non-finite forms have no immediate means of expressing timemood
categorial semantics and therefore present the weak member of the
opposition. The category expressed by this opposition is called the category of
finitude. The syntactic content of the category of finitude is the expression of
predication (more precisely, the expression of verbal predication).
In other words, the opposition of the finite verbs and the verbids is based on
the expression of the functions of full predication and semi-predication. While the
finite verbs express predication in its genuine and complete form, the function of
the verbids is to express semi-predication, building up semi-predicative complexes
within different sentence constructions.
The English verbids include four forms: the infinitive, the gerund, the
present participle and the past participle.