Infinite and

participial
clauses
PPISMP TESL SEMESTER 1
@AJIM BOY
@SS ( SHY SUHA)
@FROZEN GUY

Non-finite clausesare those in which the

only verb is in aparticiple or infinitive
form, or those, which haveno verb at all.
We call them non-finite clauses because
they don't contain a finite verb (i.e. a verb
which has a subject and a tense form, or is
imperative).

The main categories of non-finite clause are:

present participle(refers to the present or

future):Leaping out of bed, he grabbed the
bat. (v- jatavkesksna, des -vorm)
past participle(refers to the past, has a
passive meaning):Barely hatched from their
eggs, they started chirruping.(nud-, tudkesksna)
full infinitive:The solution is to get up
earlier. (ma-, da- tegevusnimi)
bare infinitive:I didn't see anyone come
into the room. (ma-, da- tegevusnimi)
verbless:At that time in Australia, they
missed the news.

Infinitive clauses

We use boththe full infinitive(e.g.to

drink) andthe bare infinitive(e.g.drink)
to make infinitive clauses.
Examples:Full infinitive
To give up nowseems stupid.
Our only option isto get up even earlier in
the mornings.
I came all the wayto find out what had
happened.

We usebare infinitiveclauses:
afterrather than:
Rather than open a new packet,why don't
you finish up the remains of this one?
as the complement of a pseudo-cleft
sentence:
What you should do istry to open it with a
knife.
attached to another clause - after sense'
verbs (e.g. hear; see):
I didn't see anyonecome into the room

Infinitive phrases can function asnouns,

adjectives, oradverbs. Look at these
examples:
To finish her shift without spilling another
pizza into a customer's lapis Michelle's
only goal tonight.
To finish her shift without spilling another
pizza into a customer's lapfunctions as a
noun because it is the subject of the sentence.
Lakesha hopesto win the approval of her
motherby switching her major from fine arts
to pre-med.
To win the approval of her
motherfunctions as a noun because it is the
direct object for the verbhopes.

THE PARTICIPIAL PHRASE

The participial phrase is always used as an
adjective phrase to modify a noun or
pronoun.
It includes the participle together with its
modifiers, objects, or predicate words.
The present participle form always ends in
-ing, but the endings for past perfect and
passive perfect participles may vary.

Eg:
Walking rapidly, we reached the town in
fifteen minutes.
Annoyed by the noise, the teacher spoke
sharply to the class.
Tom, having won the chess game, looked up
happily.
Having won every game but one, Ohio State
now led the Big Ten.

Identifying Participial Phrases. Underline

the participial phrase in each of the
following sentences. Watch
for past and present participles.
Example: Mr. Flynn, annoyed by Joe's
question, answered him impatiently.
1. Having been on the road for four days, the
Todds were exhausted.
2. That hymn, sung by many generations of
churchgoers, is my favorite.
3. Climbing slowly, we approached the top of
the hill.

4. Surprised by my question, Mrs. Osmond

blushed.
5. Phil, worn out by his long trip, slept for
twelve hours.
6. Watching me closely, the dog came toward
me.
7. Staring out the window at the rain, Bob
became more and more impatient.
8. Having been hurt in the first game, Al sat on
the bench for the rest of the season.
9. The plates, brought from Denmark by my
grandmother, are on display in the dining
room.
10. The cookies, baked this morning, were all
gone by five o'clock.

The Infinitive Phrase

Recognize aninfinitive phrasewhen
you see one.
An infinitive phrase will begin with an
infinitive[to+ simple form of the verb]. It
will include objects and/ormodifiers.

Here are some examples:

To smash a spider
To kick the ball past the dazed goalie
To lick the grease from his shiny fingers
despite the disapproving glances of his
girlfriend Gloria