And again we have a grammar lesson, and again the focus is on the English verb. But today we will not talk about the system of tenses, and not about moods, and not even about stable phrasal combinations. In this material we will look at what non-finite verb forms are in English. Let's analyze the types and purposes of these words, get acquainted with the nuances of using such verbs, and find out what their differences are from representatives of the personal form.

Everyone knows that verbs are designed to express actions. When constructing dialogues or performing practical exercises, we are accustomed to conjugating English verbs by persons and numbers, using them in different tenses, or putting the predicate in the mood we need. All this allows for personal forms of the verb.

• Thishouse was built in1988 – This house was built in 1988.
• Yesterday we sent our grandparents a letter –YesterdayWesentoursgrandmaAndgrandfatherletter.
• She is reading a magazine –Sheis readingmagazine.

We use such verbs as a predicate in every sentence and don’t even think about the fact that they constitute a separate grammatical category.

But there are special verb forms with which it is impossible to carry out these actions, because they have a constant, i.e. under no circumstances changeable form. It is these words that are called impersonal verbs.

The designation itself " non-personal” already indicates that they cannot express any personality/character/action performer. Accordingly, such verbs can never be independent predicates, but are often used as one of the components of complex predicates.

• Jessica and Kevin want to buy their own apartment –JessicaAndKevinwantbuyownapartment.
• Shelikes to ride horse– She likes to ride horses.
• Istopped watching TVfive yearsago– I stopped watching TV five years ago.

So, the grammatical essence of this phenomenon is already clear to us, let’s move on to a detailed analysis of its representatives.

Types of impersonal verb forms

According to grammar reference books, there are three non-finite verb forms in English: infinitive, gerund and participle. Let us consider separately the meaning and functions of each type of structure.

Infinitive

This is the base or dictionary form of the verb. It is from the infinitive that all other verb forms are formed. In dictionaries, verb infinitives are usually given with the particle to. But in dialogues and texts you can often find sentences in which the particle to does not appear. The absence of to is dictated by the following rules:

• Use of modal verbs (except have to, ought to);
• Using verbs that express feelings (feel, hear, see, etc.);
• The presence of verbs such as let, will, have, make;
• Neighborhood with stable combinations had better, would rather.

Let's look at examples of such proposals.

• Let them speak – Givethemsay.
• Iheardthem speak - I heard them talking.
• Shecan speak Arabic – She can speak Arabic.
• Theywouldrather play onthecomputerthan watch TV – They would rather play on the computer than watch TV.

The variety of syntactic roles of the infinitive is also interesting. In addition to participating in the construction of the predicate, it can act as a subject, and as a definition, and as an addition, and as a circumstance.

• She came to congratulate him -Shecamecongratulatehis.
• To work for the company is very difficult –WorkonthiscompanyVerydifficult.
• I was the first to come – Iwasfirstthose who came.

As can be seen from the examples, the infinitive is a universal construction with the help of which indefinite-personal and personal sentences are formed in the English language.

Gerund

A gerund is a verb form that expresses action processes and has some of the characteristics of nouns. For the Russian language, this grammatical phenomenon has no analogues.

A gerund is formed by adding the ending –ing, by which it can be easily identified in a sentence. Like the infinitive, this form can express the subject, object, circumstance, definition, etc. By the way, the infinitive and gerund often compete for use in a sentence, which can be read in detail in the adjacent material.

Let's look at examples of sentences with gerunds.

• He likes fishing on the lake Baikal –Helovesto fishonlakeBaikal.
• Singing is good for your health –SinginghealthyForhealth.
• I have finished preparing for presentation of my project –IfinishedpreparationTopresentationsmyproject.

Please note that the gerund is translated into Russian as both verbs and nouns.

Participle

Another verb form that has characteristics of other parts of speech. English participles refer to the present or past tense, and in addition to verbal functions, they have the properties of adjectives and adverbs. In Russian they correspond to participles and gerunds.

First of all, participles are known for their participation in the construction of complex compound predicates perfect and continuus. At the same time, the present participle is similar in form to the gerund, since it is also formed by adding –ing to the infinitive. The past participle is constructed using the formula “ infinitive + ending –ed" or has a stable construction characteristic of irregular verbs (3rd form).

• I've been playing this computer game for 3 hours –IplayedVthiscomputergame 3hours.
• Shehasjust sent thefax “She just sent this fax.”

In a sentence, participles also serve as modifiers and adverbs.

• We looked at the singing Mary –WewatchedonsingingMary.
• He lived in a house built 60 years ago –HelivedVhome,built 60yearsback.
• Traveling in Europe, I saw many small towns and villages –TravelingByEurope,Isawa bunch oflittle onestownsAndvillages

That's all. We hope that now it will be much easier for you to distinguish between verb forms that are similar in structure but different in meaning and understand the general context of sentences. Good luck in learning English and see you in new classes!

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In English, as in Russian, a verb denotes an action or state perceived as an action.

The main function of the verb in a sentence is the function of the predicate:

Don't work at a factory.
Didn't sleep for 2 hours.

All verbs have finite and impersonal forms. Personal forms express mood, tense, voice and, in a few cases, person and number. Personal forms of a verb appear in a sentence only as a predicate.

Doesn't go to college every day.

Non-finite forms of the verb differ from personal ones in that they do not express persons, numbers, moods and do not have the usual verb tense forms. They cannot be predicates in a sentence. Non-finite forms include infinitive, gerund, participle.

Non-finite forms have both verbal and nominal features, combining the properties of both a verb and a noun (gerund and infinitive), and a verb and an adjective (participle).

The main forms of the English verb are: infinitive (to go) past indefinite tense (Past Indefinite) (went), second participle (II) (gone), first participle (I) (going).

The infinitive and participle forms take part in the formation of various complex verb forms (with auxiliary verbs).

According to the method of formation of the forms of the past indefinite tense and participle II, all verbs are divided into regular and irregular. verbs belongs to regular verbs.

Regular verbs form the past indefinite tense and participle II by adding a suffix -ed to the verb stem:

to work - worked - worked,
to stay - stayed - stayed.

Irregular verbs form the past indefinite tense and participle II in special ways.

The number of irregular verbs is small, but they include the most common verbs. It is recommended to memorize irregular verbs in 3 main forms (see table of irregular verbs. Appendix II).

The infinitive has a formal indicator - particle "to", which has no independent meaning and does not take emphasis.

The infinitive corresponds in Russian to the indefinite form of the verb, which answers the question "what to do?":

to go, to see, to sit, to eat.

The circumstance of the goal is often expressed by an infinitive and is translated into Russian in an indefinite personal form with the conjunction “to”, “in order to”.

I come here to study English.

I come here to learn English.

Participle I and gerund are formed in the same way by adding the suffix - ing to the verb stem:

to speak - speaking,
to play - playing.

Consider the spelling rules:

1. If the stem of the verb ends in one consonant letter, which is preceded by a short stressed vowel, then the consonant letter before the suffix -ing doubles:

to stop - stopping, to cut - cutting.

2. If the stem of the verb ends in "l", then the letter "1" doubles regardless of accent:

to travel - travelling.

3. If the stem of the verb ends in "mute" "e" with a preceding consonant, then when adding a suffix -ing final "e" discarded:

to drive - driving,
HO: to see - seeing.

4. If the stem of the verb ends in -ie, That -ie changes to -y before the suffix:

to lie - lying,
to tie - tying.

5: When adding a suffix -ing to verbs ending in "y", it doesn't change:

to play - playing,
to study - studying.

Despite the outwardly identical form, the functions of the participle I and gerunds are different in an English sentence.

Gerunds serve the same functions in a sentence as nouns. So, for example, a gerund can serve in a sentence:

1) subject:
Reading is my favorite pastime.

2) the nominal part of a compound predicate:
Her greatest pleasure is reading.

3) addition:
I remember reading it. I"m fond of reading.

Gerunds can be combined with prepositions of, after, before, on:
I think of going to the South.
He insists on coming here.

Constructions in which the gerund is used include: to be fond of, to be proud of, to feel like, to be late for, what about, to depend on, to insist on, to enjoy, to begin, to finish, to stop, to like and etc.

Non-finite verb forms in English are one of the broad topics that will take time to discuss in detail.

General information

• She was tired of rowing. - She's tired of rowing.
• Reading is her favorite amusement. - Reading is her favorite pastime.
• I have no objections to your seeing her. - I don't mind you seeing her.
• I want to make a good progress in understanding Spanish. - I want to achieve good results in understanding the Spanish language.

Participle

Although the participle has a similar lexical meaning to the corresponding verb, it differs significantly from the finite form, as well as from the infinitive or gerund. The English form Participle in Russian corresponds to participle and gerund.

The formation of participles occurs as follows:

Like other non-finite verb forms in English, Participle includes properties of the verb and other parts of speech.

A participle can have the characteristics of an adjective and serve as a determiner in a sentence:

• She saw a broken plate on the table. - She saw a broken plate on the table.
• He is owner of a leading company. - He is the owner of a leading company.

Also, having the characteristics of an adverb, it can act as an adverb:

• She stayed at the window thinking. - She stood at the window, lost in thought.

Features of combining various verbs with non-finite forms

In addition to the rules of formation and use of various forms, there is another important aspect that includes the grammar of the English language. Non-finite forms, such as the infinitive and gerund, have some special features when combined with verbs. A certain group of words can only be combined with an infinitive, while another can be combined with a gerund.

Lexical units after which only the gerund is used:

• admit - admit, admit, admit, allow;
• adore - to idolize, adore;
• avoid - avoid, evade, avoid;
• can't stand - cannot stand,
• delay - delay, slow down;
• deny - refuse, reject, deny;
• discuss - discuss, discuss;
• escape - to run away, to escape;
• fancy - imagine, like, love;
• finish - to complete, to bring to an end;
• imagine - imagine mentally, imagine;
• involve - to embrace, involve;
• mention - refer, mention;
• postpone - give a delay;
• practice - apply, practice;
• quit - leave, stop;
• recall - remember, reproduce in memory;
• resent - to be indignant, to express indignation;
• resist - to resist;
• risk - take a risk, dare;
• understand - comprehend.

Words after which only the infinitive is used:

• afford - to have the opportunity;
• allow - allow (something due to oversight), allow, admit;
• agree - agree, comply;
• aim - to set as a goal, to strive;
• arrange - arrange, classify;
• attempt - make an attempt;
• ask - to inquire, ask;
• decide - intend, make a decision;
• deserve - to be worthy, to deserve;
• expect - to anticipate, plan, expect;
• fail - not to have success, not to live up to expectations;
• guarantee - to give a guarantee, to guarantee;
• hope - express hope, anticipate;
• learn - study, discover;
• manage - to cope with;
• offer - to offer;
• prepare - prepare, prepare;
• pretend - pretend, play out;
• promise - make a promise, undertake;
• refuse - reject, refuse;
• tend - to have a habit;
• threaten - threaten, foreshadow (in a negative sense);
• undertake - accept responsibility.

Non-finite forms of the verb in English is a topic that includes many nuances and requires detailed consideration and consolidation of theoretical material in practice.

As already mentioned, these tense forms are not characterized by time, person or number. They are characterized only by voice and mood.

Non-finite forms of verbs include:

1. Infinitive ( infinitive);
2. Gerund ( gerund);
3. Participle ( partial).

Let's look at each of these forms separately.

Infinitive

An imfinite form of a verb that names an action or state, but does not express time, person, or number. For example, the infinitive form of the verb to hide(hide) shows only the action - hiding an object, but we cannot say the person, number, or time in which the process takes place. The infinitive in English is similar to the initial form of the verb in Russian, answering the question “what to do?, what to do?” (hide, love, build and others). And it does not have any endings, but takes exactly the same form as in the dictionary. The main indicator of a verb in the infinitive form is the particle that precedes it to(pronounced as in unstressed position), but remember there are cases when this particle is omitted from the sentence (we will look at them later). It would seem that there is nothing complicated in this form - translate the verb into the initial form into Russian and that’s it. But not everything is so simple, unlike the personal forms of the verb, the verb in the infinitive form originates from verbal nouns, therefore in a sentence it can be, like a noun, any member of the sentence (with the exception of an independent predicate). And, as already mentioned, the infinitive form in English is very similar to Russian (especially the simple form), so I strongly advise you to study this form in Russian grammar, since in the school curriculum, if they paid attention to this topic, it was very cursory. And once you understand the Russian infinitive, you will understand the English one faster.

Let's look at the roles of the infinitive verb in a sentence:

Subject. It stands at the beginning of a sentence and is translated into Russian as the initial form of a verb:

To play hockey is his main passion.- Playing hockey is his main hobby (his main hobby is what? - playing hockey). To learn is too difficult without books.- Studying is too difficult without books.

Part of a compound predicate. Comes after a modal verb or auxiliary verb to be:

I can go with you.- I can go with you. Your duties are to study English every day.- Your responsibilities are to study English every day.

But pay attention to the last sentence. Combination is to can be confused with a modal verb be to. A modal verb, as a rule, comes after the subject, expressing a subject or object (after all, the word “should” is combined only with some kind of object or subject): He is to study English every day.- He must study English every day.

Here the object is "he" and he must learn, but we cannot say "duties must learn."

Definition. Usually comes before a noun. For yourself, remember this: if from the nearest noun you can ask a question about the infinitive as a definition (which one?), then it plays the role of a definition:

He was led by an aspiration to know the truth.- He was driven by the desire to know the truth (what desire? - to know). Damir has the hope to buy a new phone.- Damir had hope of buying a new phone (what hope? - buy).

Addition. Can appear after transitive verbs (verbs that can have a direct object after them (without a preposition), for example: give a book, and the verb go cannot have a direct object, so it is intransitive), adjectives and in complex objects. Answers the question "what?":

We like to read scientific books.- We like to read scientific books (like what? - read). A salesman was right to do a revision of goods today.- The seller was right to inspect the goods today (right to do what? - to do). You want me to come in time.- You want me to come on time. (literally - you want me to come on time).

Circumstance. Can appear after a verb or at the end of a sentence. It is used as a circumstance of purpose and answers the question (for what?, for what purpose?):

He brought fruits to feed the animals.- He brought fruit to feed the animals (brought it for what? - to feed the animals). My dog ​​runs to meet me.- My dog ​​is running to meet me (runs for what purpose? - to meet).

Next, let's look at what tense forms the infinitive can take. First, we note that in modern English, mainly only simple tense forms are used in the active (active) or passive (passive) voice. Complex forms are used if an error in understanding may occur when communicating with an interlocutor. There are 4 tense forms in the active voice and two in the passive voice. Using the example of the verb " work(work)" let's look at them (remember that the infinitive does not change in time, so the auxiliary verb is not conjugated):

Simple form applies:

• If the action expressed by the infinitive that is spoken of occurs at the same moment in which the finite verb (the predicate after the subject) in the sentence is expressed:
He decided to reach a new goal.- He decided to achieve a new goal.
• If the action being spoken of does not refer to a specific point in time:
Music helps us to become kinder.- Music helps us become kinder.
• It is in the passive voice if the action that the infinitive denotes is directed at the subject:
He doesn't want to be stopped by a guard.- He doesn't want to be stopped by security (to be stopped). They hoped to be recognized.- They hoped that they were recognized (to be recognized).

Long form applies if the action of the infinitive lasts for some time simultaneously with the time expressed by the personal verb in the sentence:

He was glad to be playing with me last evening.- He was glad he played with me last night.

Perfect form applies if the action of the infinitive has already occurred relative to the finite verb in the sentence:

It is bad to have found your sock on my table this morning.- It's bad to find your sock on my desk this morning.

Perfect long form is used if the action of the infinitive lasted for some time, before the time in which the finite verb occurs, and can continue after it:

Parents sent me to have been resting for 2 weeks last year.- My parents sent me on vacation for two weeks last year.
• After modal verbs (except have to, ought to):
Lawyers must protect all people.- Lawyers must protect all people.
• After a personal verb expressing feelings: feel(feel), hear(hear), notice(notice), see(see), smell(smell):
She saw him close a door.- She saw him close the door.
• After verbs let(allow) and made(meaning force). May also be absent at the request of the interlocutor after the verb help(to help):
Father made his son do his homework.- The father forced his son to do homework.
• After revolutions had better(it would be better) and would rather(would prefer):
We thought he would rather go first.“We thought he would prefer to go first.”
• In American English, not used before the second infinitive in a sentence (usually after conjunctions and And or):
We like to buy and sell.- We love to buy and sell.

Negation with an infinitive is formed by placing it in front of the particle to negative particle not: Max decided not to fly to the USA.- Max decided not to fly to the USA.

And lastly: instead of an infinitive, only a particle can appear in a sentence to, if it is known in advance which verb should appear in order to avoid tautology:

She likes to grow flowers, but I don't like to.- She likes growing flowers, but I don't like it.

Gerund

Like the infinitive, it is an impersonal form of the verb that does not change in tense, number and person. A gerund is something between a verb and a noun, and has some of the features of these parts of speech. The gerund form is formed by adding the initial form of the ending to the verb -ing. Rules for forming verbs with endings -ing look . In Russian there are no analogues of the gerund, and it is expressed as some kind of process, and is translated differently depending on the context:

1. A noun denoting a process (often with the ending “-nie” - meeting(meeting), singing(singing), playing(playing)):
Smoking is bad for health.- Smoking is harmful to health.
2. Initial verb form (infinitive):
He finished reading that book.- He finished reading that book.

Properties of a gerund that make it look like a noun:

• It may be preceded by a preposition:
I apologize for buying a car without you.- I apologize for buying a car without you.
• It can be accompanied by a possessive pronoun:
My writing of a new article will be finished by the end of the day.- My writing of a new article will be completed by the end of the day.
• It can act as almost any member of a sentence (same as an infinitive).

But unlike a noun, it expresses not an object or person, but some kind of process. And a gerund cannot have articles or plural forms in front of it.

Verb properties of the gerund:

• It has forms of voice (active and passive);
• It can be followed by a direct object (without a preposition) or a circumstance:
He tries to replace the bed. - He's trying to replace the bed. They start singing noisy. - They start singing noisily.

The negative form of a gerund is formed by placing a particle in front of it not:

We avoid him not coming in the office.- We avoid him by not coming to the office.

Participle.

Also an imfinite form of the verb, which does not change in tense, number and person. In English there are two forms of participle:

1. Present participle ( participle I) - verb with ending -ing;
2. Past participle ( participle II) - verb with ending -ed or the third form of an irregular verb.

Let's look at each of them in detail:

Present participle (participle I).

It is formed in the same way as a gerund by adding the ending -ing(see education rule). Since pronunciation and spelling participle I and the gerund is no different, then they can be distinguished in a sentence only by context. If the gerund is similar to a noun (denotes a process), then the present participle is translated into Russian by a participle (ending -ushch, -yushch, -ashch), a definition or an adverb:

Building of new houses is the important task of our city.- The construction of new houses is an important task of our city (here we talk about the construction of houses - about the process, therefore it is translated as a gerund). Look at this house repairing some foreign firm.- Look at this house being renovated by a foreign company (here the “ing” ending characterizes the noun, so it’s a participle). As a definition: We saw the rising sun.- We saw the rising sun.

Also, the present participle is part of a compound predicate in continuous tense forms:

Past participle (participle II).

Formed for regular verbs by adding the ending -ed(see the rule for adding an ending and reading it), and for irregular verbs their third form is used (you can look at the second and third forms of the main irregular verbs). In a sentence it can act as a participle, attribute or circumstance. Corresponds to the Russian passive participle (denotes a sign of an object on which actions are performed: chosen, found, broken, etc.).

The past participle is used:

• Definition with a noun:
He read the finished book of his friend.- He was reading his friend’s finished book.
• In the passive voice:
• Part of a compound predicate in perfect form:

Non-finite forms of the verb include: the Infinitive, the Gerund and the Participle.

1. Unlike the finite forms of the verb, impersonal forms express an action without indicating person and number and therefore cannot serve as a predicate in a sentence. Non-finite forms combine their verbal properties with the properties of other parts of speech and perform the syntactic functions of these parts of speech in a sentence. Thus, the infinitive and gerund, combining the properties of a verb with the properties of a noun, perform the function of a noun, i.e. They serve in a sentence as the subject, the nominal part of the predicate, an object, a definition and a circumstance. The participle, combining the properties of a verb with the properties of an adjective and adverb, performs the function of an adjective and an adverb, i.e. serves as a definition and circumstance in a sentence:

That skate is pleasant

(infinitive in function

subject)

(gerund in function

additions)

The book lying on the table

belongs to Rita. lives Rita.

(participle of function

definitions)

Don't sat at the table thinking. He sat at the table, lost in thought.

(participle of function \

circumstances)

2. Like finite forms of a verb, impersonal forms express time.

However, unlike finite forms, which express time in relation to the moment of speech, impersonal forms express time in relation to the moment of the action expressed by the verb in the finite form. Thus, the tense expressed by non-finite forms has a relative meaning, namely: non-finite forms usually express an action as simultaneous or prior to the action expressed by the verb in the finite form:

I saw him cross the street. I saw him cross the street.

(the infinitive expresses

simultaneous action)

They are said to have left Moscow. They say that they left Moscow.

(the infinitive expresses

previous action)

Wasn't surprised at He was surprised to see her there.

seeing her there.

(gerund expresses

simultaneous action)

I remember having read

about it m the newspaper. newspaper.

(gerund expresses

previous action)

Not sat on the sofa reading a book. He was sitting on the sofa, reading a book.

(the participle expresses

simultaneous action)

Having lost the key he couldn't get in

couldn't get into the room.

(the participle expresses

previous action)

3. Like the finite forms of the verb, impersonal forms express voice:

I want to inform you of it. I want to inform you about this,

(infinitive in active voice)

I want to be informed of it. I want to be informed

(infinitive in the passive - about this,

nom pledge)

Don't like asking questions. He loves to ask questions

(gerund in active voice)

Not likes being asked questions. He likes to be asked questions (gerund in passive voice)

The man reading a newspaper at The man reading a newspaper at the window - the window is my teacher. my teacher,

(participle in active voice)

I want to show you a list of the books read by the students in summer.

(participle in passive voice)

Lesson 5 § 8. The Gerund (Gerund)

The gerund, like the participle and the infinitive, is an impersonal form of the verb. There is no corresponding verb form in Russian.

The gerund has the properties of both a verb and a noun.

I. Properties of the verb.

1. Like a verb, a gerund has tense and voice forms. _______________ Active __________Passive ______________

Simple writing being written

Perfect having written having been written

The Simple Gerund (being, walking, writing etc.) expresses Actions that occur simultaneously with the action of the verb

la predicate or following it in time, for example;

They insisted on coming

with me. with me.

I like skating. I love skating.

A simple gerund can be used in the passive (being written, being done, being discussed, etc), for example:

She hated being interviewed. She didn't like it when her interviewees

Nobody likes being laughed at. Nobody likes being over

The Perfect Gerund (having told, having walked, having been, etc.) expresses actions that occurred before the action of the predicate verb, for example:

She denies having spoken to him. She denies having spoken to him. She was ashamed of herself for She was ashamed that she had been so rude to him. was rude to him.

The perfect gerund can have a passive form (having been sent, having been read, etc.)

I remember having been shown the letter. letter.

It must be borne in mind that in modern English we use mainly simple active v passive forms of gerund. Complex forms are used much less frequently. They are resorted to only when there is a danger of distortion of meaning. In some cases, a gerund in the Active form is used with the meaning?* of a gerund in the Passive form. This is the use of gerunds. occurs after verbs to need, to want, to requirezero given, required,to deservedeserve and after the adjective worthstanding, For example:

My shoes need mending. My boots need mending.

The dress wants washing. This dress needs to be washed.

These bags require drying. These bags need to be dried.

The child deserves praising. The child deserves to be

praised. The book is worth reading. This book is worth reading.

2. Like a verb, a gerund can take a direct object.

I remember reading this book. I remember reading this book.

I finished doing my homework

and went to the cinema. and went to the cinema.

3. A gerund, like a verb, can be defined by an adverb.

Don't hate working hard. He doesn't like to work hard.