Non-finite Verbs in Theories of Syntax
On a dependency grammar account of sentence structure, the first of the example sentences given earlier ("The proposal has been intensively examined today") receives the following analysis:
The three verbs together form a verb catena (in purple). This verb catena functions as the matrix predicate of the sentence. The finite verb has is inflected for person (3rd person), number (singular), tense (present), and mood (indicative). The non-finite verbs are not inflected in this sense; they are neutral with respect to these categories. The subject is a dependent of the finite verb, whereby the non-finite verbs lack a subject dependent. The finite verb is the root (highest word) in its verb catena. The second sentence has the following dependency structure:
The verb catena in this case (in purple) contains four verbs and the particle to. The particle to always introduces an infinitive. Three of the four verbs are non-finite verbs. The one finite verb is again necessarily the root of the entire verb catena. The subject is again dependent of the finite verb. The third sentence has the following dependency structure:
The verb catena in this sentence contains three main verbs, which means there are three separate predicates in this one verb catena (each of which can be negated). The three examples demonstrate the key distinction between finite and non-finite verbs and the role that the distinction plays in sentence structure. Non-finite verbs can be auxiliary verbs or main verbs and they appear as infinitives or participles or gerunds or etc.
Read more about this topic: Non-finite Verb
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