English Grammar: Non-Personal Forms of Verbs

Non-Personal Forms of Verbs

• Non-personal forms of verbs are infinitive, gerund, and participle.
• They are important to understand in order to communicate freely in English.

Infinitive

• Infinitive is a base form of a verb, usually with "to" (e.g. to read, to write).
• Infinitive can be used as a:
  • Subject (e.g. "To learn English is my goal.")
  • Complement (e.g. "I want to learn English.")
  • Object (e.g. "I love to read.")
  • Adverbial modifier (e.g. "I'm going to the store to buy milk.")
• There are four forms of infinitive:
  • Simple infinitive (e.g. to go)
  • Perfect infinitive (e.g. to have gone)
  • Continuous infinitive (e.g. to be going)
  • Perfect continuous infinitive (e.g. to have been going)
• Infinitive can be "bare" or without "to" in certain cases, such as:
  • After modal verbs (e.g. "I must finish the project.")
  • After "let" and "make" (e.g. "Let me help you.")
  • In questions with "why" (e.g. "Why not go to the beach?")

Gerund

• Gerund is a verb form ending in "-ing" (e.g. reading, writing).
• Gerund is used as a:
  • Subject (e.g. "Reading books is my hobby.")
  • Complement (e.g. "I love reading books.")
  • Object (e.g. "I enjoy reading.")
  • Adverbial modifier (e.g. "I'm tired of reading.")
• Gerund is formed by adding "-ing" to the base form of a verb.
• Gerund can be used in place of infinitive in some cases, but not always.

Participle

• Participle is a verb form used to describe an action (e.g. going, gone, being).
• Participle is used as a:
  • Adjective (e.g. "The rising sun is beautiful.")
  • Verb (e.g. "I am going to the store.")
  • Adverbial modifier (e.g. "The song being played is my favorite.")
• There are two forms of participle:
  • Present participle (e.g. going, being)
  • Past participle (e.g. gone, been)
• Participle is used to form tenses, such as present continuous (e.g. "I am going") and past perfect (e.g. "I had gone").

Non-Personal Forms of Verbs

• Non-personal forms of verbs are infinitive, gerund, and participle, which are essential to understand for effective communication in English.

Infinitive

• Infinitive is a base form of a verb, usually with "to" (e.g. to read, to write).
• Infinitive can function as a subject, complement, object, or adverbial modifier in a sentence.
• There are four forms of infinitive: simple infinitive (e.g. to go), perfect infinitive (e.g. to have gone), continuous infinitive (e.g. to be going), and perfect continuous infinitive (e.g. to have been going).
• Infinitive can be "bare" or without "to" in certain cases, such as after modal verbs, after "let" and "make", and in questions with "why".

Gerund

• Gerund is a verb form ending in "-ing" (e.g. reading, writing).
• Gerund is used as a subject, complement, object, or adverbial modifier in a sentence.
• Gerund is formed by adding "-ing" to the base form of a verb.
• Gerund can be used in place of infinitive in some cases, but not always.

Participle

• Participle is a verb form used to describe an action (e.g. going, gone, being).
• Participle is used as an adjective, verb, or adverbial modifier in a sentence.
• There are two forms of participle: present participle (e.g. going, being) and past participle (e.g. gone, been).
• Participle is used to form tenses, such as present continuous (e.g. "I am going") and past perfect (e.g. "I had gone").