CBSE Class 8 English Class 8 Chapter 9 Verbs – Non-Finites
1. You have already learnt that verbs can be divided into two forms :
Finite Verbs and Non-Finite Verbs.
Finite Verb: The verb has a subject which is limited by number and person.
Example: He always succeeds in business.
The verb succeeds has a subject ‘He’.
Example: He tries to succeed in business.
To succeed has no subject and hence it is not limited by number or person. It only names the action denoted by the Verb ‘tries’.
Hence it is a Non-Finite Verb. Non-Finites can be divided into three groups.
1. The Infinitive: They are called to-verbs: to work, to write, to sing (present infinitive).
- I want to work.
- He is going to write a letter to his father.
- I want to sing in the school campus.
Note: Infinitives can be used without ‘to’ also. Verbs like bid, make, let, see, hear,need, dare take the infinitive after them without ‘to’.
Examples: I made her confess that she had stolen the book.
He dare not do it. You need not go.
2. Participles: They are Verb-Adjectives ending in -ing.
Examples: working, singing, crying.
Gerunds: They are Verb-Nouns, ending in –‘ing’.
Example: Singing is an art.
Remember
Both Participles and Gerunds end in ing, but their functions are different. The Participles are like Adjectives and Gerunds like Nouns.
Example: Hoarding money is his hobby.
Here hoarding describes the Noun money. It is functioning like an adjective, so it is a Participle.
Example: Hoarding and black marketing has become his second nature.
Here hoarding as well as black marketing are the subject of the verb has become.
They are functioning as Nouns, so they are Gerunds.
Infinitives
Exercise – 1
Complete the following sentences by using infinitives
Verb + Infinitive
Example: Is it proper to use this room?
Question 1. Is it safe ______
Answer: to swim here
Question 2. It was a pleasure________
Answer: to meet you
Question 3. Everybody hopes_________
Answer: to succeed
Question 4. The book is_________
Answer: to read
Question 5. It was impossible ____________
Answer: to finish on time
Exercise – 2
Complete the exercise by using: Verb + Object + Infinitive.
Example: He wanted us to go and meet the Principal.
Question 1. He advised_________ ____________a seat well in advance for the show.
Answer: me to, book
Question 2. I would like ___________ _____________ harder in future.
Answer: you to , work
Question 3. The Director invited_________ _____________round the factory and see how it functioned.
Answer: us to , walk
Question 4. I was permitted by_________ _____________ early and visit my ailing father.
Answer: the manager to, leave
Question 5. She warned _______ not ________to strangers on the road.
Answer: me,to talk
Question 6. He promised__________ _______________the officer in the evening.
Answer: me to , meet
Question 7. The Principal did not allow________ ________________ on leave.
Answer: them to go
Question 8. I ordered _______ not _________TV but play games with his friends instead.
Answer: him, to watch
2. Read the following sentences :
- To advise others is easy.
- To live without air is impossible.
- These sentences would look better if ‘It’ is used as a subject in each case.
- Examples: It is easy to advise others.
- It is impossible to live without air.
Exercise -3
Rewrite the following sentences using ‘It ’
Question 1. To tell lies is wrong.
Answer: Telling lies is wrong
Question 2. To reject this offer will be foolish.
Answer: Rejecting this offer will be foolish
Question 3. To be present at your party will be a pleasure.
Answer: Being present at your party will be a pleasure.
Question 4. To play on the road is unsafe for children.
Answer: playing on the road is unsafe for children.
Question 5. To grab all the presents was very selfish on her part.
Answer: Grabbing all the presents was very selfish on her part.
Question 3. The Infinitive is often used with Adjectives and Participles. They can be modified by ‘too’.
Examples:
- He is so weak that he cannot run fast.
- He is too weak to run fast.
Exercise -4
Rewrite the following sentences by using the Adverb too (Remember to place it before an adjective) + an infinitive
Question 1. It was so hot today that we could not work.
Answer: It was too hot to work today.
Question 2. She was so frightened that she could not speak for a few minutes.
Answer: She was too frightened to speak for a few minutes.
Question 3. This news is so good that I can’t believe it.
Answer: This news is too good to believe.
Question 4. The room was so noisy that I could not hear what my friend said.
Answer: The room was too noisy to hear what my friend said.
Question 5. His clothes were so shabby that he was not allowed to enter the club.
Answer: His clothes were too shabby to be allowed into the club.
Exercise -5
Join the following sentences by using ‘enough ’ + an infinitive.
Examples: The boy was not tall. He would not reach the shelf.
The boy was not tall enough to reach the shelf.
Question 1. She was not very smart. She could not solve the puzzle in time.
Answer: She was not smart enough to solve the puzzle in time.
Question 2. He wasted all his wealth. He was very foolish.
Answer: He was foolish enough to waste his wealth.
Question 3. He is quite honest. He can face any temptation.
Answer: He is honest enough to face any temptation.
Question 4. He never complained about his work. He was patient.
Answer: He was patient enough never to complain about this work.
Question 5. Martin was not a strong boy. He could not lift heavy objects.
Answer: Martin was not strong enough to lift heavy objects.
Question 4. Remember the infinitive is used without to after certain verbs. We drop to before infinitive in negative sentences.
Examples: bid, make, let, see, hear, need.
The above verbs do not need ‘to’ to form an infinitive.
- I bid her do this.
- I saw her run away.
- I made her confess.
- I heard him weep.
- You need not go.
- He dare not do it.
Exercise -6
Fill in the blanks with the Infinitive with or without to. Take the help of the words given in the brackets:-
Question 1. The landlord had____________ the lock and occupy the house. (break)
Answer: to break
Question 2. You had better______________your Income Tax before 30th July. (pay)
Answer: pay
Question 3. You need not __________for me at the station,I may be late.(wait)
Answer: wait
Question 4. He did nothing at home but____________TV all the time.(watch)
Answer: watch
Question 5. Very few people dare_______ the might of the Don in Mumbai. (challenge)
Answer: to challenge
Question 6. We made them ________ the exercise before going home. (complete)
Answer: complete
Question 7. The foolish boy tried_____________ his parents’ room at night without being caught. (enter)
Answer: to enter
Question 8. Bid the policemen____________ quickly and arrest the culprit. (action)
Answer: act
Question 9. I heard the woman__________ out in terror but couldn’t help her. (cry)
Answer: cry
Question 10. You need ______ for longer hours before you can think of entering the inter-school competition. (practice)
Answer: to practice
Participles
Participles are Verb + Adjective.
Example: Walking on the road. Hari met his friend.
Walking qualifies the Noun ‘Hari’ as an Adjective does. It is formed from the Verb ‘walk’, and given an object.
Therefore, the word walking is both like a Verb and an Adjective.
Participles are of two kinds :
1. The Present Participle shows that the action is going on or is incomplete.
- I can hear the girls singing on the stage.
- Do you see the boy riding a pony?
2. The Past Participle denotes an action which is completed and hence is no longer in progress.
Examples:
- Driven by fury, he fired the shot.
- Terrified, the girl hid behind the thick bushes.
Important: We use Participles to join sentences.
Examples:
- I saw an old man. He was walking very slowly on the road.
- I saw an old man walking very slowly on the road.
- The weather was fine. I went out.
- The weather being fine, we went out.
Exercise – 7
Combine the pair of sentences using a Participle
Question 1. I was in the hotel. I was waiting for my friend to arrive.
Answer: Being in the hotel, I was waiting for my friend to arrive.
Question 2. The little boy saw a monkey. He began to cry.
Answer: Seeing a monkey, the little boy began to cry.
Question 3. Ramesh picked up the mobile phone. He rang up his mother.
Answer: Picking up the mobile phone, Ramesh rang up his mother.
Question 4. His friend seized his arm. He led him away from the party.
Answer: Seizing his arm, his friend led him away from the party.
Question 5. The crow stole a piece of cheese. He flew to his nest to enjoy it.
Answer: Stealing a piece of cheese, the crow flew to his nest to enjoy it.
Question 6. He seized his stick. He rushed out to chase the thief.
Answer: Seizing his stick, he rushed out to chase the thief.
Question 7. I met Abid on the road. He was carrying a load of books in his bag.
Answer: Meeting Abid on the road, I noticed he was carrying a load of books.
Question 8. The enemy was beaten thoroughly. The enemy ran away from the field.
Answer: Thoroughly beaten, the enemy ran away from the field.
Question 9. He was elected President. The people gave their full support.
Answer: Elected President, he received the people’s full support.
Question 10. The master was absent for a long time. The business was badly neglected.
Answer:
The business,(having been) neglected for a long time, suffered due to the master’s absence.
Exercise-8
Pick out the Participles in the following sentences and state whether they are Present or Past Participles
Question 1. The enemy, beaten at every point,fled from the field.
Answer: beaten – Past participle
Question 2. Seeing the sunshine we decided to go for a picnic.
Answer: Seeing – Present participle
Question 3. The hungry fox saw some grapes hanging from the vines.
Answer: hanging – Present participle
Question 4. She kept us waiting outside her office for two hours.
Answer: waiting – Present participle
Question 5. We saw a car driven at full speed crash against a bus.
Answer: driven – Past participle
Question 6. Encouraged by his success, he expanded his business.
Answer: Encouraged -Past participle
Question 7. Dissatisfied with his present job he resigned and left.
Answer: Dissatisfied – Past participle
Question 8. Displeased by his servant’s actions he ordered him to leave at once.
Answer: Displeased – Past participle
Question 9. Charmed by her presence, they offered her a role in their next picture.
Answer: Charmed – Past participle
Question 10. Walking up to the front door he rang the bell loudly.
Answer: Walking – Present participle
Gerunds
Read the following sentence.
- Swimming is a very good exercise.
- The word swimming is formed by joining the base verb ‘swim’ with –ing. So it is like a verb.
- Swimming is also the name of an action and also the subject of a sentence hence it does the work of a Noun.
- The word swimming is both like a Verb and a Noun. It is therefore, a Verb Noun, and is called a Gerund.
Remember:
Participles also end in ‘ing’ but they are Verbal Adjectives.
Swimming across the river, he was chased by a crocodile. (Participle) The word ‘swimming’ here describes the Noun ‘he’. It is a participle.
Important Note: The only part of a verb that can follow a Preposition is a Gerund.
Examples:
Exercise – 9
Match A and B to make sensible sentences:-
A B
1. Don’t try (c) a. breaking this window?
2. I do not agree to (g) b. without meeting my sister.
3. The camera is not suitable for (I) c. bullying the poor child?
4. Please excuse (j) d. Snowing now?
5. Would you mind (h) e. reporting the matter to the police.
6. Has it stopped (d) f. your going on leave very often.
7. We insisted on (e) g. driving the car when I go away.
8. I went home (b) h. playing this tune again?
9. Who is responsible for (a) I. taking pictures without proper light.
10. Why don’t you stop (f) j. my being late again.
Exercise – 10
Complete the following sentences by adding a suitable Infinitive, Present Participle or Gerund of the verbs given in the brackets:-
Question 1. I should advise you _________a doctor, (see)
Answer: to see
Question 2. The bad weather compelled us ___________indoors.(stay)
Answer: to stay
Question 3. I have come________you. (help)
Answer: to help
Question 4. I am sorry _________ this. (hear)
Answer: to hear
Question 5. She was quick_________ the point. (see)
Answer: to see
Question 6. Please allow us__________ outside. (wait)
Answer: to wait
Question 7. The prisoner begged the judge __________him. (forgive)
Answer: to forgive
Question 8. She is fond of _________cards. (play)
Answer: playing
Question 9. He was found ___________ desperately for his life.(fight)
Answer: fighting
Question 10. We saw a clown _______on his head. (stand)
Answer: standing
Question 11. We objected to _____________her.(meet)
Answer: meeting
Question 12.____________ on the grass is for bidden. (walk)
Answer: walking
Question 13. We insisted on ______ the letter .(see)
Answer: seeing
Question 14. They always disapproved of __________ cards.(play)
Answer: playing
Question 15. Her parents never approved of her __________ an old man. (marry)
Answer: marrying
Question 16. She is very clever at_________ excuses. (make)
Answer: making
Question 17. I hate __________ in a queue. (stand)
Answer: standing
Question 18. Would you mind___________ outside? (wait)
Answer: waiting
Question 19. I remember _____________ you in London two years ago. (meet)
Answer: meeting
Question 20. I enjoy____________ in the sun on a cold day. (bask)
Answer: basking