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5 Nonfinite clauses
A nonfinite clause is one which does not have Subject or Finite. There are 3 kinds of
nonfinite clause:



Infinitive clause:
to run away is my dream
Present participle clause: eating too much makes one lazy
Past participle clause:
driven by thirst, they marched on.
Note that there is a quite rare case of nonfinite wh-nominal clause:
 infinitive wh-nominal clause: What to buy is not your concern.
5.1
Infinitive clauses
An infinitive clause nearly always starts with “to”, followed by a verb:
to be loved (is a wonderful thing)
The verbs after the “to” can be of any of the usual auxiliaries of a VP, except for the
Modal, or combinations of these:
to love
to be loved (passive)
to be loving (continuous)
to have loved (perfect)
to have been loved (perfect and passive)
etc.
An infinitive clause can start with “not”, or the „not‟ can come later in the VP
not to love
to not love
An infinitive clause can fill various slots:
Subject:
To love is a wonderful thing
D. Object:
She asked him to love her
Complement:
My job is to make you happy.
Qualifier:
Madrid is the team to beat.
Adjunct:
Turn the key to start the engine
5.2
Present participle Clauses
A present-participle clause starts with a present-participle verb (-ing verb):
going mad slowly
These clauses can use the following aspects (or combinations of them):
Perfect:
having driven for 5 hours
Passive:
being driven home (is a great luxury)
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A present-participle can start with “not”, or the „not‟ can come later in the VP:
not driving home
having not driven home.
A present-participle clause can fill various slots:
Subject:
Driving home is a luxury
D. Object:
She enjoyed driving the bus
Complement:
My job is driving a bus.
Qualifier:
He is a man driven by ambition.
Adjunct:
turning the dial clockwise, press the red button
Complement in a PP:
a means of earning a dollar is ...
5.3
Past-participle Clauses
A past-participle clause starts with a past-participle verb (-en verb):
driven by hunger
These clauses cannot appear with any auxiliaries in front (thus no perfect or
continuous aspects). In meaning, they correspond to a passive clause (and thus are
usually followed by a “by” agent”).
A past-participle can start with “not”:
not informed of his rights
A present-participle clause can fill two slots:
Adjunct (usually giving a Reason for the main action):
Confused by the crowds, he lost his friends
Qualifier (noun postmodifier): The man driven by thirst
5.4
Exercises on nonfinite clauses
For each of the following sentences:
d. Underline the embedded clause in the following clauses,
e. Specify the type of the clause (infinitive-clause, etc.)
f. Specify which Function slot the clause fills
1. Barcelona is the team to beat!
2. Holding the handle down, pull towards you.
3. I bought a book on playing Chess
4. Press the red button to turn off the engine.
5. The men, driven by hunger, looted the shop.
6. Starting school is not an easy time.
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