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Clauses: Finite and Non-Finite - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

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Clauses: Finite and Non-Finite - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

Uploaded by

trunghien190798
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Clauses: finite and non-

finite
Grammar > Words, sentences and clauses > Clauses and
sentences > Clauses: finite and non-finite

Finite clauses
Finite clauses must contain a verb which shows tense.
They can be main clauses or subordinate clauses:

Is it raining? (main: present)

I spoke to Joanne last night. (main: past)

We didn’t get any food because we didn’t have


enough time. (main: past; subordinate: past)

Non-finite clauses
Non-finite clauses contain a verb which does not show
tense. We usually use non-finite verbs only in subordinate
clauses. We usually understand the time referred to from
the context of the main clause. We often use a non-finite
clause when the subject is the same as the subject in the
main clause:

I had something to eat before leaving. (I had


something to eat before I left.)
After having spent six hours at the hospital, they
eventually came home.

Helped by local volunteers, staff at the museum have


spent many years sorting and cataloguing more than
100,000 photographs.

He left the party and went home, not having anyone to


talk to.

The person to ask about going to New Zealand is


Beck.

You have to look at the picture really carefully in order


to see all the detail.

After, although, though, and if

We often use non-finite clauses after some subordinating


conjunctions like after, although, though and if:

By the end of the day, although exhausted, Mark did


not feel quite as tired as he had in the past. (although
he was exhausted)

The proposal, if accepted by Parliament, will mean


fundamental changes to the education system.

After verbs + -ing or infinitive with to

We use non-finite clauses as the complements to verbs


which take -ing or to-infinitive after them:

I don’t enjoy playing tennis in the rain.

I’d hate to travel to London every day.

Relative clauses

A relative clause can be non-finite when the subject of the


relative clause is the same as the subject of the main
clause:

The man sitting on the sofa over there is Simon’s


brother. (The man who is sitting …)

Don’t forget to fill in the form attached to the letter. (…


which is attached to the letter.)

See also:

Although or though?

Finite clauses

Relative clauses

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