Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "non-finite" [non-finite]

  • Infinitive, uninflected; -- of verbs. Opposite of <ant>finite</ant>. (adjective)

Gnu Collaboartive International Dictionary of English: licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

Use "non-finite" in a sentence
  • "Incidentally, there seems to be some uncertainty as to what this area of grammar (where verbs are followed by other, non-finite, verbs) is called."
  • "The fact of the matter is that want is a transitive verb, and hence requires an object, whether that object is a noun phrase, or a non-finite clause (formed with an infinitive), as in We want to learn English."
  • "In a nutshell, if my quadripartite system distinguishes four sets of endings exemplified in the 1ps with *-mi (objective progressive), *-m (objective non-progressive), *-h₂ór (subjective progressive) and *-h₂e (subjective non-progressive), then it stands to follow that there may likewise be four non-finite forms, participles, corresponding to each of the four categories I describe."
Words like "non-finite"