Chapter 16: Non-Finite Verbs · UPESSC TGT English

Part III — The Verb Systems

Chapter 16

Non-Finite Verbs

📘 50 MCQs⏱ ~28 min read🎯 Exam-focused

Theory

1. What is a Non-Finite Verb?

A finite verb agrees with its subject and shows tense: She sings; they sang. A non-finite verb does none of this — it is not "finite" (limited) by subject, number or tense. It cannot, by itself, function as the main verb of a clause.

Feature	Finite verb	Non-finite verb
Agrees with subject?	Yes	No
Shows tense?	Yes	No (not independently)
Can be main verb of a clause?	Yes	No
Examples	writes, wrote, will write	to write, writing, written

The three non-finite forms are the infinitive, the gerund and the participle.

To err is human; to forgive is divine. (infinitive)
Swimming is good exercise. (gerund)
The broken vase lay on the floor. (past participle as adjective)
I want to learn French. (infinitive)
The boy singing on the stage is my cousin. (present participle)

2. The Infinitive

The infinitive is the base form of the verb, usually preceded by to (the full or to-infinitive: to go, to read). When to is dropped, it is called the bare infinitive (go, read).

2(a). The Bare Infinitive

The bare infinitive (without to) is used in the following cases:

After	Example
Modal auxiliaries (can, may, must, shall, will, should, etc.)	You must go now.
let, make, bid	Let him speak.
Verbs of perception: see, hear, watch, feel, notice (active voice)	I saw her cross* the road.*
had better, would rather, would sooner	You had better leave.
rather than, sooner than	He chose to walk rather than wait.
but, except (after do); do but / cannot but	She did nothing but weep.

Note: In the passive voice, verbs of perception and make take the to-infinitive: She was made to apologise. / He was seen to enter.

Solved examples (bold = bare infinitive):

You should respect your elders.
Make him understand the rule.
We watched the players practise all morning.
I would rather stay at home tonight.
He had better apologise at once.
They could do nothing but obey.
I cannot but admire her courage.

2(b). The Full (to-)Infinitive and its Uses

The to-infinitive can work like a noun, an adjective or an adverb.

Function	Role	Example
Noun	Subject	To wait is tiresome.
Noun	Object	I want to rest.
Noun	Complement	Her aim is to win.
Adjective	Qualifies a noun	I have work to finish.
Adverb	Of purpose	He came to help* us.*

Solved examples:

To forgive our enemies is noble. (subject — noun use)
She refused to answer the question. (object — noun use)
This is the house to let. (adjective use)
We eat to live, not live to eat. (adverb of purpose)
He is too weak to walk. (adverb modifying weak)
Their plan was to surrender. (complement)

Split infinitive: When an adverb is placed between to and the verb (to boldly go), the infinitive is said to be "split". Modern usage accepts it where it reads naturally, but in formal examination English it is safer to avoid awkward splits: prefer to go boldly unless the split prevents ambiguity.

3. The Gerund

A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun. Because it is a noun, it can be a subject, an object, a complement, or the object of a preposition.

Use	Example
Subject	Smoking is harmful.
Object of a verb	I enjoy reading.
Complement	Seeing is believing.
Object of a preposition	He is fond of painting.

3(a). Gerund after Prepositions

A verb following a preposition is always in the gerund form, never the infinitive.

She insisted on paying the bill.
He left without saying goodbye.
They are good at solving puzzles.
I am tired of waiting.
Think before acting.

3(b). Gerund after Certain Verbs

Some verbs are followed by a gerund (not an infinitive): enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, deny, admit, suggest, risk, consider, postpone, practise, escape, miss, dislike, give up, keep (on).

He avoided meeting me.
Have you finished writing the report?
She denied stealing the money.
I suggest postponing the trip.
Would you mind opening the window?
They considered selling the house.

3(c). Gerund after Special Expressions ("to" as a preposition)

In certain fixed phrases, to is a preposition, so it is followed by a gerund, not by an infinitive: look forward to, used to (= accustomed to), be/get accustomed to, with a view to, object to, be addicted to, take to, devoted to, in addition to, prone to.

I look forward to meeting you.
She is accustomed to working late.
He went abroad with a view to studying medicine.
They object to being disturbed.
I am used to living alone.

Caution: Distinguish used to + bare infinitive (a past habit: I used to smoke) from be used to + gerund (be accustomed: I am used to smoking). They are entirely different constructions.

3(d). Possessive before a Gerund

When a noun or pronoun comes immediately before a gerund, formal English prefers the possessive case, because the gerund is a noun being "owned".

I do not mind his coming late. (not him coming)
Excuse my interrupting you.
We were surprised at John's failing the test.
There is no chance of their winning.
Ram's being late annoyed the teacher.

4. The Participle

A participle is a verb form that works as an adjective (and helps form compound tenses). There are three participles:

Participle	Form	Example
Present participle	base + -ing	a crying* child*
Past participle	-ed / V3	a broken* promise*
Perfect participle	having + V3	Having finished work, he left.

The present participle usually denotes an action going on (active); the past participle denotes a completed action or a passive sense; the perfect participle shows that one action was completed before another.

The setting sun looked beautiful. (present participle as adjective)
A wounded soldier was carried away. (past participle as adjective)
Having read the letter, she tore it up. (perfect participle)
Hearing the noise, the dog barked. (present participle phrase)
Defeated in battle, the king fled. (past participle phrase)

4(a). Participial Phrases

A participle with its accompanying words forms a participial phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun.

Running down the hill, the boy fell.
Encouraged by his success, he tried again.
The girl, weeping bitterly, ran to her mother.
Having lost the key, we could not enter.
The man, injured in the accident, was taken to hospital.

4(b). Dangling / Misrelated Participles

A participle must clearly modify the doer of its action — normally the subject of the main clause. If it appears to modify the wrong noun (or no noun at all), it "dangles" and the sentence becomes illogical.

Dangling (wrong)	Corrected
Running to the station, the train left. (the train was not running)	Running to the station, I found the train had left.
Being a rainy day, we stayed at home.	It being a rainy day, we stayed at home.
Sitting on the gate, the bull charged at me.	As I was sitting on the gate, the bull charged at me.

Solved examples (corrected forms, bold = participle):

Walking along the road, I met an old friend. (I was walking)
Tired after the journey, the children fell asleep. (the children were tired)
Having finished the test, the students left the hall.
Opening the box, she found a ring.
Frightened by the dog, the child screamed.

5. Gerund vs Infinitive after Certain Verbs (Meaning Change)

A small set of verbs can take either a gerund or an infinitive, but the meaning changes: remember, forget, stop, try, regret, go on, mean (and need).

Verb	+ to-infinitive	+ gerund (-ing)
remember	recall a duty still to be done — Remember to post the letter.	recall a past act — I remember posting the letter.
forget	fail to do a future duty — Don't forget to lock the door.	not recall a past act — I'll never forget meeting her.
stop	pause in order to do — He stopped to smoke.	cease the activity — He stopped smoking.
try	attempt (something difficult) — I tried to open it.	experiment with a method — Try adding salt.
regret	be sorry for present news — I regret to inform you...	be sorry for the past — I regret saying that.
go on	change to a new action — She went on to describe the plan.	continue the same action — She went on talking.
mean	intend — I mean to help you.	involve / entail — This will mean working late.

Solved examples:

Please remember to call me tomorrow. (future duty)
I clearly remember locking the door last night. (past act)
On the way he stopped to buy milk. (purpose)
The doctor advised him to stop eating sweets. (cease)
I regret to say that you have failed. (present bad news)
He regrets having wasted his youth. (past)

6. Gerund vs Present Participle (Same Form, Different Job)

Both end in -ing, but a gerund is a noun while a present participle is an adjective/verbal modifier. Test: if the -ing word names an activity (you can replace it with a noun), it is a gerund; if it describes a noun or shows an action in progress, it is a participle.

Gerund (noun)	Present participle (adjective)
Dancing is her hobby. (= the activity)	The dancing* girl won a prize.* (describes girl)
I like swimming.	The boy is swimming. (action in progress)
a walking* stick* (a stick for walking — gerund)	a walking* man* (a man who walks — participle)

Solved examples:

Reading improves the mind. (gerund — subject)
The child, reading quietly, did not notice us. (participle)
His chief delight is collecting stamps. (gerund — complement)
We saw a burning house. (participle — describes house)
A sleeping bag is for sleeping. (first = gerund-modifier of purpose; the act = gerund)

Common Exam Errors

#	Wrong	Correct	Explanation
1	You must to go now.	You must go now.	Modals take the bare infinitive, never to.
2	Let me to help you.	Let me help you.	Let is followed by the bare infinitive.
3	I saw him to cross the road.	I saw him cross the road.	Verbs of perception in the active take the bare infinitive.
4	Make him to understand.	Make him understand.	Make (active) takes the bare infinitive.
5	You had better to rest.	You had better rest.	Had better takes the bare infinitive.
6	I would rather to walk.	I would rather walk.	Would rather takes the bare infinitive.
7	She did nothing but to cry.	She did nothing but cry.	After but/except following do, use the bare infinitive.
8	He prefers walking rather than to drive.	He prefers walking to driving.	Prefer ... to ... takes parallel gerunds.
9	I look forward to meet you.	I look forward to meeting you.	Here to is a preposition, so use the gerund.
10	I am used to work hard.	I am used to working hard.	Be used to (accustomed) takes a gerund.
11	He is good in playing chess.	He is good at playing chess.	Correct preposition + gerund: good at.
12	She insisted to pay the bill.	She insisted on paying the bill.	A verb after a preposition must be a gerund.
13	I enjoy to read novels.	I enjoy reading novels.	Enjoy is followed by a gerund.
14	He avoided to meet me.	He avoided meeting me.	Avoid takes a gerund.
15	Would you mind to open the door?	Would you mind opening the door?	Mind is followed by a gerund.
16	They suggested to postpone the match.	They suggested postponing the match.	Suggest takes a gerund (not to + infinitive).
17	He denied to take the money.	He denied taking the money.	Deny is followed by a gerund.
18	I do not mind him coming late.	I do not mind his coming late.	Use the possessive before a gerund in formal English.
19	Running fast, the bus was missed.	Running fast, I missed the bus.	A dangling participle must modify the real doer.
20	Being a holiday, the office was closed.	It being a holiday, the office was closed.	Supply a subject to avoid a dangling participle.
21	He stopped to smoke years ago.	He stopped smoking years ago.	Stop + gerund = give up; the meaning intended is "ceased".
22	Remember posting this letter tomorrow.	Remember to post this letter tomorrow.	For a future duty use remember + to-infinitive.
23	I cannot but to admire her.	I cannot but admire her.	Cannot but takes the bare infinitive.
24	He was made do the work.	He was made to do the work.	In the passive, make takes the to-infinitive.
25	The aim of the team are winning.	The aim of the team is to win.	Singular subject + infinitive complement of purpose.

Exam Tricks

"To + verb" is not always an infinitive. If to follows look forward, used to, accustomed to, object to, with a view to, addicted to, prone to, it is a preposition — choose the -ing form. (Distractor trap: papers offer to meet when the answer is to meeting.)
After a modal, never put "to". Any option with must to / can to / should to is automatically wrong.
Active vs passive perception verbs. I saw him go (bare) but He was seen to go (to-infinitive). Watch the voice.
Stop / remember / forget / regret / try. Read the intended meaning first; the form follows the meaning, not the other way round.
Possessive + gerund. When a pronoun precedes an -ing noun, prefer my/his/their over me/him/them in formal grammar questions.
Spot the dangling participle. Check who performs the participle's action; it must be the subject of the main clause.
Parallelism with "prefer". prefer A to B needs the same form on both sides (usually gerunds).
Common distractors mix a valid gerund verb (enjoy/avoid/finish) with a tempting to-infinitive; reject the infinitive instantly.

Frequently Confused Pairs

Pair	Distinction	Example
Gerund vs Present participle	Gerund = noun (names an activity); participle = adjective/verbal (describes a noun or shows an action).	Swimming is fun (gerund) vs the swimming dog (participle).
To-infinitive vs Bare infinitive	Use to after most verbs/nouns/adjectives; drop to after modals, let, make, see, hear, etc.	I want to go vs Let me go.
stop + to-infinitive vs stop + gerund	stop to do = pause in order to do; stop doing = cease the activity.	He stopped to rest vs He stopped working.
remember + to-infinitive vs remember + gerund	remember to do = a task still ahead; remember doing = recall a past act.	Remember to pay vs I remember paying.
used to + infinitive vs (be) used to + gerund	used to + bare infinitive = past habit; be used to + gerund = be accustomed to.	I used to swim vs I am used to swimming.
forget + to-infinitive vs forget + gerund	forget to do = fail to do a duty; forget doing = not recall a past act.	Don't forget to write vs I'll never forget seeing it.
try + to-infinitive vs try + gerund	try to do = make an effort; try doing = experiment with a method.	Try to start the car vs Try pushing the car.

Exceptions — Important, Rare & Advanced

"to" omitted in parallel structures: after the first to-infinitive, later infinitives in a series may drop to — I want to sit and rest.
"help" takes either form: He helped me (to) carry the box. Both the bare and the to-infinitive are correct.
"know" + to-infinitive in the passive: He is known to be honest (to-infinitive), though in the active know rarely takes a perception-style bare infinitive.
"need / want" + gerund (passive sense): The car needs washing = needs to be washed; My shoes want mending.
"but" = "except" can take the bare infinitive only after a form of do: I could do nothing but laugh (bare), but elsewhere but may govern a gerund: There is no option but to wait.
"would rather" with two clauses: takes a past-subjunctive clause, not an infinitive — I would rather you went now.
Perfect participle for sequence: use having + V3 when one action is clearly earlier — Having eaten, he slept.
Gerund vs infinitive with "begin/start/continue/like/love/hate": both forms are usually correct with little change of meaning — It began to rain / It began raining. (After would like, prefer the infinitive: I would like to go.)
Split infinitive accepted where rewriting causes ambiguity — I expect to more than double the output.
Fused participle (advanced): grammarians debate me coming vs my coming; in strict exam English, the possessive (my coming) is preferred.

50 MCQs

Easy (1–15)

1. You must ______ your homework before dinner.

(a) to finish (b) finish (c) finishing (d) finished
Answer: (b) finish
Explanation: A modal (must) is followed by the bare infinitive.

2. I enjoy ______ to classical music.

(a) to listen (b) listen (c) listening (d) listened
Answer: (c) listening
Explanation: Enjoy is always followed by a gerund.

3. Let him ______ his point.

(a) to explain (b) explain (c) explaining (d) explained
Answer: (b) explain
Explanation: Let takes the bare infinitive.

4. She is fond of ______ stories to children.

(a) tell (b) to tell (c) telling (d) told
Answer: (c) telling
Explanation: A verb after the preposition of must be a gerund.

5. ______ is good for health.

(a) Walk (b) To walking (c) Walked (d) Walking
Answer: (d) Walking
Explanation: A gerund can act as the subject of a sentence.

6. He came here ______ me.

(a) for help (b) to help (c) helping (d) help
Answer: (b) to help
Explanation: The to-infinitive expresses purpose.

7. I saw the thief ______ over the wall.

(a) to jump (b) jump (c) jumps (d) jumped
Answer: (b) jump
Explanation: A perception verb in the active voice takes the bare infinitive.

8. Would you mind ______ the window?

(a) to close (b) close (c) closing (d) closed
Answer: (c) closing
Explanation: Mind is followed by a gerund.

9. The ______ vase cannot be repaired.

(a) break (b) breaking (c) broken (d) to break
Answer: (c) broken
Explanation: The past participle works as an adjective (passive sense).

10. You had better ______ a doctor.

(a) to consult (b) consult (c) consulting (d) consulted
Answer: (b) consult
Explanation: Had better takes the bare infinitive.

11. He avoided ______ the difficult question.

(a) to answer (b) answer (c) answering (d) answered
Answer: (c) answering
Explanation: Avoid is followed by a gerund.

12. I look forward to ______ from you soon.

(a) hear (b) hearing (c) heard (d) to hear
Answer: (b) hearing
Explanation: In look forward to, to is a preposition, so use the gerund.

13. The boy ______ in the corner is my brother.

(a) stand (b) to stand (c) standing (d) stood
Answer: (c) standing
Explanation: The present participle describes the noun boy.

14. She refused ______ the offer.

(a) accepting (b) accept (c) to accept (d) accepted
Answer: (c) to accept
Explanation: Refuse is followed by the to-infinitive.

15. I would rather ______ at home today.

(a) to stay (b) stay (c) staying (d) stayed
Answer: (b) stay
Explanation: Would rather takes the bare infinitive.

Moderate (16–35)

16. He stopped ______ a cigarette on the way.

(a) smoking (b) to smoke (c) smoke (d) smoked
Answer: (b) to smoke
Explanation: Stop to do = pause in order to do something.

17. The doctor told him to stop ______ so much sugar.

(a) to eat (b) eat (c) eating (d) eaten
Answer: (c) eating
Explanation: Stop + gerund = cease the activity.

18. Remember ______ the gas before you leave.

(a) turning off (b) to turn off (c) turned off (d) turn off
Answer: (b) to turn off
Explanation: A future duty takes remember + to-infinitive.

19. I distinctly remember ______ the door last night.

(a) to lock (b) lock (c) locking (d) locked
Answer: (c) locking
Explanation: Recalling a past act takes remember + gerund.

20. I am used to ______ early in the morning.

(a) get up (b) getting up (c) to get up (d) got up
Answer: (b) getting up
Explanation: Be used to (accustomed) takes a gerund.

21. He used to ______ a lot when he was young.

(a) travelling (b) travel (c) to travel (d) travelled
Answer: (b) travel
Explanation: Used to (past habit) takes the bare infinitive.

22. I do not approve of ______ coming late every day.

(a) him (b) he (c) his (d) himself
Answer: (c) his
Explanation: Use the possessive case before a gerund.

23. ______ the letter, she put it carefully in her bag.

(a) Reading (b) Read (c) Having read (d) To read
Answer: (c) Having read
Explanation: The perfect participle shows one action completed before another.

24. She did nothing but ______ all evening.

(a) to complain (b) complaining (c) complain (d) complained
Answer: (c) complain
Explanation: After but following do, use the bare infinitive.

25. He went to the city with a view to ______ a job.

(a) find (b) finding (c) to find (d) found
Answer: (b) finding
Explanation: With a view to is followed by a gerund.

26. The naughty boy was made ______ in the corner.

(a) stand (b) to stand (c) standing (d) stood
Answer: (b) to stand
Explanation: In the passive, make takes the to-infinitive.

27. They suggested ______ the meeting to Monday.

(a) to postpone (b) postpone (c) postponing (d) postponed
Answer: (c) postponing
Explanation: Suggest is followed by a gerund.

28. I regret ______ you that your application has been rejected.

(a) telling (b) to tell (c) tell (d) told
Answer: (b) to tell
Explanation: Regret + to-infinitive introduces present bad news.

29. He regrets ______ his parents' advice in his youth.

(a) to ignore (b) ignore (c) ignoring (d) ignored
Answer: (c) ignoring
Explanation: Regret + gerund expresses sorrow for a past act.

30. She denied ______ the vase.

(a) to break (b) break (c) breaking (d) broken
Answer: (c) breaking
Explanation: Deny is followed by a gerund.

31. After the introduction, he went on ______ the main topic.

(a) discussing (b) to discuss (c) discuss (d) discussed
Answer: (b) to discuss
Explanation: Go on + to-infinitive = move to a new action.

32. Despite the warning, the children went on ______ in the rain.

(a) to play (b) play (c) playing (d) played
Answer: (c) playing
Explanation: Go on + gerund = continue the same action.

33. This new machine will mean ______ fewer workers.

(a) to employ (b) employing (c) employ (d) employed
Answer: (b) employing
Explanation: Mean + gerund = involve or entail.

34. He cannot but ______ the truth.

(a) to accept (b) accepting (c) accept (d) accepted
Answer: (c) accept
Explanation: Cannot but takes the bare infinitive.

35. My old bicycle needs ______ before the trip.

(a) to repair (b) repair (c) repairing (d) repaired
Answer: (c) repairing
Explanation: Need + gerund carries a passive sense (= needs to be repaired).

Difficult (36–50)

36. ______ along the river, we noticed a fallen tree.

(a) Walked (b) Walking (c) To walk (d) Having walked
Answer: (b) Walking
Explanation: The present participle correctly modifies we, the doer.

37. Choose the sentence with NO dangling participle.

(a) Driving to work, the rain began. (b) Driving to work, I was caught in the rain. (c) Driving to work, the traffic was heavy. (d) Driving to work, the engine stalled.
Answer: (b) Driving to work, I was caught in the rain.
Explanation: Only here does the participle modify the actual driver, I.

38. He prefers reading ______ watching television.

(a) than (b) to (c) rather than (d) from
Answer: (b) to
Explanation: The pattern is prefer + gerund + to + gerund.

39. In "Seeing is believing", the word believing functions as a ______.

(a) participle (b) gerund (c) finite verb (d) adverb
Answer: (b) gerund
Explanation: It is the noun-complement of the sentence, hence a gerund.

40. Identify the bare infinitive: "She helped me ______ the table."

(a) lay / to lay both acceptable (b) laying (c) laid (d) to laying
Answer: (a) lay / to lay both acceptable
Explanation: Help may be followed by either the bare or the to-infinitive.

41. In "a walking stick", walking is a ______.

(a) present participle (b) gerund (c) finite verb (d) past participle
Answer: (b) gerund
Explanation: It means "a stick for walking" — a gerund used attributively, not a participle describing the stick.

42. Which sentence is correct?

(a) He was seen enter the room. (b) He was seen to enter the room. (c) He was seen entering to the room. (d) He was seen entered the room.
Answer: (b) He was seen to enter the room.
Explanation: Perception verbs in the passive take the to-infinitive.

43. "______ defeated, the army retreated in haste."

(a) Being (b) To be (c) Be (d) Been
Answer: (a) Being
Explanation: The participle being defeated properly modifies the army.

44. Try ______ the door with this other key.

(a) to open (b) opening (c) open (d) opened
Answer: (b) opening
Explanation: Try + gerund = experiment with a method (using a different key).

45. I tried ______ him, but the line was busy.

(a) calling (b) to call (c) call (d) called
Answer: (b) to call
Explanation: Try + to-infinitive = make an effort to do something.

46. Which option correctly completes: "There is no point in ______ over spilt milk."

(a) to cry (b) cry (c) crying (d) cried
Answer: (c) crying
Explanation: A verb after the preposition in must be a gerund.

47. Pick the grammatically correct sentence.

(a) I object to be treated like this. (b) I object to being treated like this. (c) I object treated like this. (d) I object treat like this.
Answer: (b) I object to being treated like this.
Explanation: In object to, to is a preposition followed by a gerund (here passive).

48. In "The rising sun is a glorious sight", rising is a ______.

(a) gerund (b) present participle (c) past participle (d) infinitive
Answer: (b) present participle
Explanation: It describes the noun sun (the sun that is rising), so it is a participle.

49. Choose the correct form: "I would rather you ______ now."

(a) to go (b) go (c) went (d) going
Answer: (c) went
Explanation: Would rather with a second subject takes the past-subjunctive clause, not an infinitive.

50. Identify the sentence in which the -ing word is a gerund.

(a) The barking dog frightened her. (b) Barking loudly, the dog ran off. (c) I dislike his barking orders at me. (d) The dog was barking all night.
Answer: (c) I dislike his barking orders at me.
Explanation: Here barking is a noun (object of dislike, with possessive his) — a gerund; the others are participles.