Non-Finite Forms of the Verb

Morphological Features.
The categories of the infinitive.
Syntactic functions.
 
2) The

gerund and its properties.
Morphological Features.
The categories of gerund.
Syntactic functions.
The notion of half-gerund.
The Infinitive and the Gerund Compared.
The Gerund and the Verbal Noun Compared.
 
3) The present participle.
Morphological Features.
The categories of Participle I.
Syntactic functions.
The Gerund and Participle I Compared.
 
4) The Past participle.
Morphological Features.
Voice and Aspect Meaning of Participle II.
Syntactic functions.

the characteristics of other parts of speech.
The opposition between the

finite and non-finite forms of the verb creates a special grammatical category – the category of finitude.
The differential feature of the opposition is constituted by the expression of verbal time and mood.
The syntactic content of the category of finitude is the expression of verbal predication.

treated as the head-form of the whole paradigm of the

verb.
The infinitive has two presentation forms: marked and unmarked.
The infinitive combines the properties of the verb with those of the noun.

of voice, perfect and aspect;
Syntactical:
the infinitive possesses the verb

combinability:

a) it takes an object in the same way as the corresponding finite verbs do;
b)it takes a predicative if it happens to be a link verb;
c) it is modified by adverbials in the same way as finite verbs.

understand is to forgive. (subject, predicative)
That’s what I wanted to

know. (object)
I saw the chance to escape into the garden. (attribute)
I merely came back to water the roses. (adverbial modifier of purpose)

administration and not to speak to him about your predicament

was unwise, to say the least of it.
The chief arranged to receive the foreign delegation in the afternoon.
The parents' wish had always been to see their eldest son the continuator of their joint scientific work.
Here again we are faced with a plot to overthrow the legitimately elected government of the republic.
Helen was far too worried to listen to the remonstrances.

Its substantive meaning is more strongly pronounced than that of

the infinitive: unlike the infinitive, the gerund can be modified by a noun in the genitive case or by the possessive pronoun and used with prepositions.
The general combinability of the gerund, like that of the infinitive, is dual, sharing some features with the verb, and some features with the noun.

as direct, indirect or prepositional object, depending on the verb

it is formed from;
b) with an adjective or a noun as a predicative;
c) with an infinitive.

Gerunds can be modified by adverbs and prepositional phrases functioning as adverbial modifiers.
 

reveals itself syntactically, mainly in its syntactical function, partly in

its combinability.
Like a noun, it can function as subject, object, or predicative.
Seeing you is always a pleasure. (subject)
I remember seeing you somewhere. (object)
I am thinking of seeing the film again. (prepositional object)
Peter’s hobby is seeing all new films. (predicative)

When it is an attribute or an adverbial modifier, a gerund, like a noun is preceded by a preposition.
There is a chance of catching the train.
Don’t forget to call me up before leaving London.
I reached my goal in spite of there being every reason against it.

combine with a possessive pronoun and a noun in the

genitive case denoting the doer of the action expressed by the gerund.
Excuse my interrupting you.
I insist on John’s staying with us.

It combines with the negative pronoun no in the idiomatic construction of the type:
There is no getting out of it.

Unlike the noun, the gerund cannot be used in the plural; it cannot be preceded by the article (or its substitute); it cannot be determined by the adjective.

again doesn't make them more convincing.
No wonder he de­layed

breaking the news to Uncle Jim.
She could not give her mind to pressing wild flowers in Pauline's botany book.
Joe felt annoyed at being shied by his room-mates.
You know what luck is? Luck is believing you're lucky.
Fancy the pleasant prospect of listening to all the gossip they've in store for you!
He could not push against the furniture without bringing the whole lot down.

to hate, to prefer the gerund expresses a more general

or a habitual action, the infinitive a specific single action.

With the verbs to begin and to start either form may generally be used, but again the gerund is preferable when the action is more general.

The verb to remember is followed by a gerund when it means a prior action (to recall, to keep in one’s memory some past event), and by an infinitive when it means a simultaneous action (the working of one’s memory).

suggest priority, whereas the infinitive suggests a simultaneous action.

After to

stop the gerund is used when it suggests the end of the action denoted by the gerund, whereas the infinitive is used as an adverbial of purpose.

The phrasal verb to go on with a gerund suggests the continuation of the action, denoted by the gerund and forms part of a compound verbal predicate; an infinitive points out a new stage in the sequence of actions.

correlation distinctions;
can function as a direct object;
can have adverbs as

modifiers.

The Verbal Noun
has the plural form;
functions in of-phrases;
combines with adjectival attributes;
has the article.

scaring easily.
Then he was aware of Toscato’s / Toscato shaking

the door of the box. I remember them staying with us once
Fancy his / him saying so!

The possessive subject of the ing-form in the first of the two sentences is clearly a structural adjunct of a nounal collocation.
But the objective subject of the ing-form, by virtue of its morphological constitution, cannot be associated with a noun.
The ing-form with the objective subject can be understood as a participle.

the verb which combines the properties of the verb with

those of the adjective and adverb.

In its outer form the present participle is wholly homonymous with the gerund, ending in the suffix -ing and distinguishing the same grammatical categories of temporal correlation and voice.

Both forms denote a process – the present participle (or the past participle) denotes a qualifying process while the gerund denotes a substantival process.

as direct, indirect or prepositional object;

b) with an adverb

or a prepositional phrase as an adverbial modifier;

c) with a noun or adjective as a predicative.

syntactical functions as an attribute and an adverbial modifier:

Arriving at

the station, she saw him at once, leaning agains the railing.

Like an adjective, participle I forms adverbs with the suffix -ly: laughingly, jokingly, surprisingly, admiringly, appealingly, feelingly.

irritating.
She had thrust the crucifix on to the surviving baby.
Norman

stood on the pavement like a man watching his loved one go aboard an ocean liner.
He was no longer the cocky, pugnacious boy, always squaring up for a fight.
She went up the steps, swinging her hips and tossing her fur with bravado.
And having read in the, papers about truth drugs, of course Gladys would believe it absolutely.

qualitative characteristics to the subject, thus tending towards an adjective.

When

a gerund or a participle is used as an attribute, the difference between them lies in the absence or presence of the preposition, also in their relationship to the modified noun. Participle I denotes an action that the person or thing performs or experiences.

varied in its application than the participle because it is

used with different prepositions.

of the verb which combines the properties of the verb

with those of the adjective, serving as the qualifying-processual name.

Unlike the present participle, it has no paradigm of its own.

the sentence, usually that of either attribute or predicative.
It

may combine with adverbs of degree typical of adjectives, such as very, too, slightly, so, much, more, as in:
I am very pleased with you.
The children were too excited to notice the newcomer.

Similar to adjectives and participle I, participle II may form adverbs with the help of the suffix -ly: fixedly, unhurriedly, admittedly.

is manifested in its combinability.

Participle II of transitive verbs

easily combines with a by-object denoting the doer of the action as in:
- Jane entered the room followed by her brother.

boy brought up in a teacher’s family.

Participles II of

prepositional transitive verbs are followed by the appropriate prepositions: a book often asked for, the article referred to, a man much spoken of.

the main question asked her at the wedding.

Participle II

may be accompanied by an adverbial modifier expressed by adverbs or phrases combining with verbs: a house built two years before, man hidden in the bush, a play well acted, a story long forgotten.

three types:
1) denoting an action directed towards the person or

non-person expressed by the subject or object.
- Spanish is one of the foreign languages taught at our Institute.

2) denoting a state, which is the result of an action.
- The problem is solved. The door is shut.

3) denoting a pure state.
- I felt annoyed when he refused to help me.

i t i v e verbs is always active in

meaning.

The use of these participles is restricted.

Only participles II of verbs denoting motion or change of state can be used as attributes. These are participles II of the verbs to arrive, to fall, to go, to rise, to depart, to decease, to retire, to fade, to wither, to vanish, to decay and some others.

v e t e r m i n a t i

v e verbs the passive meaning of participle II is combined with perfectivity. Thus participle II can be opposed to participle I in their aspectual meanings of perfectivity/imperfectivity: taking - taken, asking - asked, writing - written, telling – told.

Participle II of intransitive verbs or verbs used intransitively is always perfective in meaning and can be opposed to non-perfect participle I: rising - risen, decaying - decayed, going - gone, arriving - arrived, retiring –retired.

new hope.
The cleverly chosen timing of the attack de­termined

the outcome of the battle.
It is a face devastated by passion.
His was a victory gained against all rules and predictions.
Looked upon in this light, the wording of the will didn't appear so odious.
The light is bright and inconveniently placed for reading.

with the conjunction when or until:
He is very affable when

spoken to, but naturally silent.

reason:
Deprived of his wife and son by the Spanish adventure, Jolyon found the solitude at Robin Hill intolerable.

condition, mostly with the conjunction if or unless:
I shall certainly give evidence on your behalf, if required.

sociability, Haldone’s question was loaded.

comparison, with the conjunction as if

or as though:
“I get off the train,” he repeated as if hypnotized.