Non-finite Verbs – NDA English Notes

1. Introduction

Every sentence has a finite verb, a verb that carries tense, person, and number. “She writes.” “They wrote.” “He will write.” But verbs can also appear in forms that carry none of these markers. They still express action or state, but they do not anchor the sentence to a particular time or person on their own. These are non-finite verbs, and they are the subject of this chapter.

Non-finite verbs are not a minor grammatical curiosity. They appear in nearly every complex English sentence: “I want to go home.” “She enjoys singing.” “Having finished the work, he left.” “The meeting was adjourned.” Each of the underlined forms is a non-finite verb, present in the sentence but not carrying the tense weight of the main verb.

2. The Three Forms of Non-Finite Verbs

Before teaching when each form is required, it helps to see all three clearly in one place. Non-finite verbs do not change to show who is doing the action or when it happens. Their form is determined by the grammatical context around them.

Form	Structure	Function	Example
Infinitive	“to” + base verb (or bare base verb after modals)	Noun, adjective, adverb	“She wants to leave.” / “He can swim.”
Gerund	base verb + “-ing” (same form as present participle)	Always a noun: subject, object, or complement	“Swimming is healthy.” / “She enjoys singing.”
Present Participle	base verb + “-ing” (same form as gerund)	Adjective or adverbial: describes or modifies	“The sleeping child.” / “Running to the door, he tripped.”
Past Participle	base verb + “-ed” (or irregular form)	Adjective, adverbial, or passive auxiliary	“The broken window.” / “Having finished, he left.”

The gerund and the present participle share the same form: both add “-ing” to the base verb. What distinguishes them is function: a gerund acts as a noun, a present participle acts as an adjective or adverbial. “Swimming is healthy”: “swimming” is a noun (gerund, subject of the sentence). “The swimming child”: “swimming” is an adjective (participle, modifying “child”). Same form, different role.

3. Gerund After Specific Verbs: The Chapter’s Dominant Concept

Some verbs in English idiomatically require a gerund as their complement. You cannot replace the gerund with an infinitive. Either the meaning changes entirely or the sentence becomes non-standard. Seven of the fourteen confirmed NDA questions in this chapter test this concept, making it the single most important teaching target.

The key insight: these verbs express an attitude toward an ongoing activity, a completed action, or a state of being. They are not oriented toward a future goal or intention. Because the focus is on the activity itself, not on something yet to happen, the gerund (which names the activity as a noun) is the correct choice.

“Look Forward to” + Gerund: The Chapter’s Highest-Priority Expression

★  IMPORTANT “Look forward to” requires a GERUND after “to”: not a base verb.   This is the most confirmed individual error in the chapter, tested in two separate NDA papers eleven years apart. “I look forward to meeting you.”: never “to meet.”

Here is why students make this error: they see “to” and automatically reach for the base verb, because “to” almost always marks an infinitive. But in “look forward to”, the “to” is a preposition. It is part of the phrasal verb, not an infinitive marker. And a preposition must be followed by a noun or noun equivalent. The gerund is the noun form of the verb.

NDA 2009-II: Spotting Errors:

“It has been such a wonderful evening,/(a) I look forward to meet you again/(b) after the vacations./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “to meet”  |  Correct: “I look forward to meeting you again after the vacations.”  [NDA 2009-II]

NDA 2020-I & II: Spotting Errors:

“I look forward/(a) to meet/(b) you./(c) No error./(d)”

Error: Part (b): “to meet”  |  Correct: “I look forward to meeting you.”  [NDA 2020-I & II]

The same expression tested twice, eleven years apart. The examiner’s willingness to return to this expression confirms it as a priority item.

“Can’t Help” + Gerund

“Can’t help” means “cannot avoid” or “cannot prevent oneself from doing.” It always requires a gerund.

NDA 2009-I: Spotting Errors:

“I can’t help to sneeze/(a) I got drenched yesterday/(b) and have a bad cold./(c) No error./(d)”

Error: Part (a): “can’t help to sneeze”  |  Correct: “I can’t help sneezing.”  [NDA 2009-I]

“Can’t help sneezing” = cannot avoid sneezing. “Can’t help to sneeze” sounds like “cannot assist in sneezing” (wrong meaning).

“Enjoy” + Gerund

“Enjoy” expresses pleasure in an activity. The activity being enjoyed is named by the gerund, the noun form of the verb. Using an infinitive after “enjoy” is non-standard.

NDA 2016-I: Sentence Improvement:

“He enjoys to tell stories to children.”

Underlined Part: “to tell stories”  |  Options: (a) how to tell stories  (b) telling stories  (c) to narrate stories  (d) No improvement

Answer: (b) telling stories  [NDA 2016-I]

Correct:  “He enjoys telling stories to children.”

Incorrect:  “He enjoys to tell stories.”  non-standard; “enjoy” requires gerund

(a) “how to tell stories”: changes the meaning entirely.  (c) “to narrate stories”: still an infinitive; wrong form after “enjoy”.

“Deny” + Gerund

“Deny” means to state that something did not happen. The thing denied is a past or completed action, expressed by the gerund.

NDA 2024-I: Sentence Completion:

“The thieves denied _________.”

Options: (a) having stealing the money  (b) stealing the money  (c) had stolen the money  (d) having to steal the money

Answer: (b) stealing the money  [NDA 2024-I]

Correct:  “The thieves denied stealing the money.”

Incorrect:  “having stealing”: double -ing error; “having” + gerund = “having stolen”, not “having stealing”

Incorrect:   “had stolen”: finite past tense; cannot follow a verb directly as its complement

Incorrect:  “having to steal”: changes the meaning to obligation, not denial

“Stop” + Gerund vs “Stop” + Infinitive: The Meaning Distinction

“Stop” is one of the most analytically precise verbs in this chapter because both the gerund and the infinitive can follow it, but with completely different meanings. The meaning you intend determines the form you must use.

“Stop + gerund” = cease doing something (the action ends).

“Stop + infinitive” = pause in order to do something (the action begins after the pause).

Correct:  “She stopped talking.”  = She ceased talking. (conversation ended)

Correct:  “She stopped to talk.”  = She paused in order to talk. (she was doing something else, then stopped to talk)

NDA 2015-I: Spotting Errors:

“Unless you stop to make noise at once,/(a) I will have no option but to/(b) bring the matter to the attention of the police./(c) No error./(d)”

Error: Part (a): “stop to make noise”  |  The sentence intends “cease making noise”: cessation meaning requires gerund.

Correct: “Unless you stop making noise at once…”  [NDA 2015-I]

NDA 2013-I: Spotting Errors:

“Imagine living/(a) with someone/(b) who never stops talk./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (c): “never stops talk”  |  “Talk” is the bare base verb, neither gerund nor infinitive is correctly formed. “Stops” expressing cessation → gerund.

Correct: “who never stops talking.”  [NDA 2013-I]

The Complete Gerund-After-Verb Reference

Verb	Correct Form	PYQs
look forward to	“look forward to meeting you”	NDA 2009-II   |  NDA 2020
can’t help	“can’t help sneezing”	NDA 2009-I
enjoy	“enjoy telling stories”	NDA 2016-I
deny	“denied stealing the money”	NDA 2024-I
stop (cessation)	“stop making noise”	NDA 2013-I, 2015-I
avoid	“avoid making the same mistake”	Standard syllabus
mind	“Would you mind opening the door?”	Standard syllabus
consider	“consider applying for the post”	Standard syllabus
finish	“finish writing the report”	Standard syllabus
regret (past action)	“regret telling him the truth”	Standard syllabus
miss	“miss seeing her every day”	Standard syllabus
postpone / delay	“postponed starting the project”	Standard syllabus
practise	“practises singing every morning”	Standard syllabus
risk	“risked losing everything”	Standard syllabus
admit	“admitted taking the money”	Standard syllabus
suggest (direct)	“suggest taking a different route”	Standard syllabus
dislike	“dislikes being late”	Standard syllabus

4. “To” as a Preposition: The Most Confirmed Error in the Chapter

Every NDA student knows that “to” marks an infinitive: “to go”, “to see”, “to write.” This knowledge is correct in most situations. But in specific phrasal verbs and fixed expressions, “to” is a preposition, not an infinitive marker. When “to” is a preposition, the verb that follows it must be a gerund, because prepositions require noun forms.

This is the conceptual key that unlocks the “look forward to” error. Students write “look forward to meet” because they apply the rule: “to” + base verb. But “to” in “look forward to” is a preposition. The test is simple: can you replace “to” with another preposition (at, on, in, with) and still have a meaningful structure? If yes, it is a preposition; use a gerund.

How to identify “to” as a preposition: Ask: Is “to” part of a fixed phrasal expression or idiom? (look forward to, used to, object to, in addition to) If yes → “to” is a preposition → use a GERUND after it. If no → “to” is an infinitive marker → use the BASE VERB after it.

[Image Suggestion: “To”: Preposition or Infinitive Marker? Decision flowchart: “Does ‘to’ follow a fixed phrase or phrasal verb? (look forward to, used to, object to, in addition to, accustomed to)” → YES branch: “Preposition → gerund follows” with example “look forward to meeting” → NO branch: “Infinitive marker → base verb follows” with example “want to meet”]

“Used to” + Gerund: “To” Is a Preposition Here Too

“Be used to” means “be accustomed to.” In this expression, “to” is a preposition, and the gerund follows it.

Correct:  “I am used to standing in queues.”  accustomed to the activity

Incorrect:  “I am used to stand in queues.”  “stand” is a bare verb; wrong after preposition “to”

NDA 2018-I: Fill in the Blanks:

“I am used to ________ in queues.”

Options: (a) stand  (b) standing  (c) stand up  (d) standing still

Answer: (b) standing  [NDA 2018-I]

“Used to” here = accustomed to. “To” = preposition. Gerund “standing” required.

Note: “Used to + base verb” is a separate expression meaning a past habit: “I used to stand in queues.” (I did this regularly in the past, but perhaps not now.) The NDA question tests “be used to + gerund”, so these two must not be confused.

Expression	“to” is…	What follows	Example
“look forward to”	Preposition	Gerund	“look forward to meeting you”  [NDA 2009-II, 2020]
“be used to” (accustomed)	Preposition	Gerund	“used to standing in queues”  [NDA 2018-I]
“object to”	Preposition	Gerund	“object to being treated unfairly”
“in addition to”	Preposition	Gerund	“in addition to working full-time”
“accustomed to”	Preposition	Gerund	“accustomed to waiting”
“want to”, “hope to”, “wish to”	Infinitive marker	Base verb	“want to go”, “hope to succeed”
“try to”, “plan to”	Infinitive marker	Base verb	“try to open”, “plan to leave”

5. Purpose Expressions: “Come to See” vs “Come for Seeing”

When you want to express the purpose of an action (why someone did something), English uses the infinitive “to + base verb.” This is called the infinitive of purpose. It is used after motion verbs like “come”, “go”, “run”, “arrive”, “leave.”

Students sometimes use “for + gerund” to express purpose, because “for” can introduce a purpose in some contexts (“I exercise for health”, “it’s good for practising”). But with motion verbs and action purposes, the standard construction is the infinitive of purpose, not “for + gerund.”

NDA 2014-II: Spotting Errors:

“I was disappointed/(a) when I came for seeing you last evening/(b) but could not find you at home./(c) No error/(d)”

Error: Part (b): “came for seeing you”  |  Correct: “when I came to see you last evening”  [NDA 2014-II]

Purpose with a motion verb → infinitive of purpose. “For seeing” over-generalises the “preposition + gerund” rule.

Correct:  “I came to see you.”  purpose infinitive

Correct:  “He went to buy groceries.”  purpose infinitive

Correct:  “She ran to catch the bus.”  purpose infinitive

Incorrect:  “I came for seeing you.”  non-standard for expressing purpose

6. Gerund vs Infinitive: Meaning-Changing Pairs

Several English verbs accept both the gerund and the infinitive as complements, but with different meanings. These are the most analytically demanding items in the chapter, because choosing the correct form requires understanding what the speaker intends, not just applying a rule.

The underlying logic:

Past or ongoing activity → Gerund (the action is already in progress or completed)

Future instruction or intention → Infinitive (the action is yet to happen)

[Image Suggestion: Meaning-Changing Pairs Decision Aid: two-question prompt: “Is the action already done or ongoing?” → YES → Gerund. “Is the action yet to be done or a future instruction?” → YES → Infinitive. Applied to “stop”, “remember”, and “try” with a worked example for each.]

Verb	Gerund Meaning	Gerund Example	Infinitive Meaning	Infinitive Example
stop  [NDA 2013-I, 2015-I]	Cease doing	Stop making noise. (end the noise)	Pause in order to do	Stop to look at the view. (pause, then look)
remember	Recall a past action	I remember locking the door. (I recall doing it)	Mind to do a future action	“Remember to lock the door.” (don’t forget to do it)
try	Experiment with; attempt as test	Try taking the medicine at night. (as an experiment)	Make an effort; attempt	Try to open the door. (it may be difficult)
regret	Feel sorry for a past action	I regret telling him. (sorry I told him)	Feel sorry to announce	I regret to inform you… (formal announcement)
forget	Fail to recall that one did	I forgot telling him. (I don’t remember having told)	Fail to recall to do	I forgot to tell him. (I didn’t tell him)
go on	Continue doing the same thing	She went on talking. (kept talking)	Move to the next action	She went on to describe the event. (then described)

7. The Infinitive: Forms and Functions

Most students know only one infinitive form: “to go”, “to see”, “to write.” But the English infinitive has five distinct forms, each with its own meaning. Two of them have been directly confirmed in NDA questions.

Form	Structure	Example	NDA Status
Simple Active	to + base verb	“She wants to go home.”	Standard
Perfect Active	to have + past participle	“He claims to have met her.”	Standard
Simple Passive	to be + past participle	“The report is to be submitted today.”	Standard
Perfect Passive	to have been + past participle	“You are lucky to have been born in the 20th century.”	NDA 2017-II
Continuous Active	to be + present participle	“She seems to be enjoying herself.”	Standard

The perfect passive infinitive (“to have been + past participle”) is the form students find most difficult because it combines three elements: “to have” (perfect aspect) + “been” (passive auxiliary) + past participle (main verb). Omitting “been” produces the error “to have born” instead of “to have been born.” All three elements are required.

8. Adjective + Infinitive Complement

When an adjective expresses an emotional or evaluative reaction (happy, lucky, glad, pleased, eager, ready, willing, afraid), it is typically followed by an infinitive. The infinitive names what the person feels happy about, is eager to do, or is afraid of doing.

NDA 2015-II: Fill in the Blanks:

“Mr. Ghosh is very happy _____ his son’s excellent result.”

Options: (a) for seeing  (b) to see  (c) by seeing  (d) see

Answer: (b) to see  [NDA 2015-II]

“Happy to see”: adjective + infinitive complement.

(a) “for seeing”: “for + gerund” not standard after emotional adjectives.  (c) “by seeing”: “by” expresses means, not emotion.  (d) “see”: bare infinitive is wrong after adjectives.

Correct:  “She is eager to start her new job.”

Correct:  “He was afraid to speak in public.”

Correct:  “They were delighted to hear the news.”

NDA 2024-I: Sentence Completion:

“Would you like to _________?”

Options: (a) meeting her  (b) meet her  (c) met her  (d) meet with her

Answer: (b) meet her  [NDA 2024-I]

“Would like + to + base verb”: the standard complementation pattern.

(a) “meeting”: gerund after “would like to” is wrong; the “to” here is an infinitive marker.  (c) “met”: past tense; not valid as an infinitive complement.  (d) “meet with”: implies a formal planned meeting; also drops the base form.

9. The Perfect Infinitive: The Time Relationship Rule

The perfect infinitive (“to have + past participle”) is used when the event described by the non-finite verb happened before the event described by the main clause. There is a time gap: the non-finite action is in the past relative to the main clause.

The Rule: Non-finite action occurred EARLIER than main clause event → use the Perfect Infinitive (to have + past participle). Non-finite action is simultaneous with or future to main clause → use the Simple Infinitive (to + base verb).

[Image Suggestion: Perfect Infinitive Timeline: a horizontal line with “Non-finite action (earlier)” on the left and “Main clause event (later, present)” on the right, connected by an arrow. Label on the left: “Use: to have + past participle.” Example below: “Born [earlier] → Lucky now [later]” → “lucky to have been born.” Second example: “Ought not to have told [earlier] → but did [past moment already passed].”]

NDA 2017-II: Fill in the Blanks:

“You are lucky ________ in the 20th century.”

Options: (a) by being born  (b) to have been born  (c) for being born  (d) to have born

Answer: (b) to have been born  [NDA 2017-II]

Time analysis: Being born happened in the past (20th century). Being lucky is the present state. Past action → present state: perfect infinitive required.

Correct:  “to have been born”  perfect passive infinitive (born = past event, passive)

Incorrect:  “to have born”  missing “been”; this removes the passive auxiliary

“Born” requires “been” because birth happens TO a person, not BY a person. “To have been born” = to have had the experience of birth (passive).

(a) “by being born”: preposition “by” wrong; not standard.  (c) “for being born”: preposition “for” wrong; not standard.

10. Modal + Infinitive: “Ought Not to Have Told”

The modal verb “ought” always requires “to + infinitive”, unlike other modals (can, will, must) which take bare infinitives. When “ought” refers to a past action (something that happened but should not have, or something that should have happened but did not), the perfect infinitive follows.

“Ought to + base verb” → present/future obligation or advice.

“Ought to have + past participle” → past unrealised obligation (something should have happened but didn’t, or happened but shouldn’t have).

NDA 2017-I: Sentence Improvement:

“He ought not to tell me your secret, but he did.”

Underlined Part: “tell”  |  Options: (a) telling  (b) have told  (c) having told  (d) No improvement

Answer: (b) have told  [NDA 2017-I]

“He did” at the end of the sentence confirms this is a past event that already happened. “Ought not to” + past action = “ought not to have told.” The simple “tell” suggests present/future (wrong, because “he did” has already occurred).

(a) “telling”: gerund; not standard after “ought not to.”  (c) “having told”: perfect participle; wrong form after “ought to.”  (b) “have told”. Correct: “ought not to have told” = he should not have told (but he did).

11. Participles: Form and Function

The present participle (base + -ing) and past participle (base + -ed or irregular) are non-finite verb forms that function as adjectives or adverbials. They do not express the main action of the sentence. They describe or provide background information.

Participle Type	Form	Function	Example
Present Participle	base + -ing	Describes ongoing action; simultaneous with main verb	“Running to the station, he tripped.” (running and tripping were simultaneous)
Past Participle	past form (regular or irregular)	Describes completed action; used in passive constructions	“Exhausted by the effort, he sat down.” / “Having arrived early, she waited.”
Perfect Participle	“having” + past participle	Action completed before the main clause action	“Having read the letter, he put it away.” (reading done first, then put away)

The critical grammatical requirement for participial phrases: the implied subject of the participle phrase must be the same as the grammatical subject of the main clause. When this condition fails, the participle is “dangling”, attached to the wrong element in the sentence.

12. Dangling Participles: The Subject-Matching Test

A dangling participle is a participial phrase whose implied subject does not match the grammatical subject of the main clause. The phrase seems to describe one thing but is grammatically attached to another. Two confirmed NDA questions test this concept.

The most reliable way to detect a dangling participle is a four-step subject-matching test:

Step 1: Identify the participial phrase.

Step 2: Identify its implied subject: who is performing or experiencing the action in the phrase?

Step 3: Identify the grammatical subject of the main clause.

Step 4: If Step 2 ≠ Step 3 → the participle is dangling. The sentence needs structural correction.

[Image Suggestion: Dangling Participle Subject-Matching Test: a four-step box diagram showing the steps above, applied to the NDA 2015-I example. Step 1: “Having read a number of stories about space travel”: Step 2: Implied subject: “he” (a person who reads): Step 3: Grammatical subject of main clause: “his dream”: Step 4: “he” ≠ “his dream” → dangling participle.]

NDA 2015-I: Spotting Errors:

“Having read a number of stories/(a) about space travel/(b) his dream now is about to visit the moon./(c) No error./(d)”

Error: Part (c): the participial phrase has a dangling attachment.

Step 1:  Participial phrase: “Having read a number of stories about space travel”

Step 2:  Implied subject of this phrase: the person who did the reading (= “he”)

Step 3:  Grammatical subject of the main clause: “his dream”

Step 4:  “he” ≠ “his dream” → dangling participle. “His dream” cannot read stories.

Correct: “Having read a number of stories about space travel, he now dreams of visiting the moon.”  [NDA 2015-I]

NDA 2021-I: Spotting Errors:

“When learning to dive/(a) it is important/(b) to relax in between and take breaks./(c) No error/(d)”

The issue: Part (a): “when learning to dive” has no clear grammatical subject. “When learning to dive” implies a learner (a person). The main clause subject is “it”, an impersonal subject, not a person.

In formal English, participial phrases with impersonal dummy subjects are non-standard.

Acceptable revision: “When you are learning to dive, it is important to relax.”  [NDA 2021-I]

Note: Impersonal dangling participles (“When eating dinner, the music was pleasant.”) are common in informal English but are treated as errors in formal written English.

The key insight from these two examples: in the first, the grammatical subject exists but is wrong (his dream vs he). In the second, the grammatical subject is the impersonal “it”, which cannot be the person learning to dive. Both are instances of the same underlying principle: the participle phrase must have a clear, correctly matched subject.

13. The Mandative Subjunctive: “Suggest That + Base Verb”

Certain verbs in English (suggest, recommend, demand, insist, require, propose, request, order) are followed by a “that” clause in which the verb takes its base form regardless of the subject’s person or number. This is called the mandative subjunctive, and it is formally parallel to a bare infinitive, the base form without any inflection.

After verbs of suggestion, demand, or recommendation:

Verb + that + subject + BASE FORM (no -s, no -ed, no auxiliary)

Correct:  “She suggests that I ask your advice.”  (not “asks”, not “asked”, not “can ask”)

Correct:  “He recommended that she leave immediately.”  (not “leaves”, not “left”)

Correct:  “The rules require that each member sign the register.”  (not “signs”)

NDA 2024-II: Sentence Completion:

“Preeti suggests _________.”

Options: (a) that I ask to your advice  (b) that I had asked your advice  (c) that I can have asked your advice  (d) that I ask your advice

Answer: (d) that I ask your advice  [NDA 2024-II]

“Suggest” triggers the mandative subjunctive: “that + subject + base form.”

(d) “that I ask your advice” : base form “ask” (no -s, no auxiliary).

(a) “ask to your advice”: wrong preposition; “ask your advice” (no “to”) is standard.

(b) “that I had asked”: past perfect; wrong tense in mandative subjunctive.

(c) “that I can have asked”: modal + perfect; wrong form entirely.

The verbs that trigger the mandative subjunctive form a named class. Learning them as a group, not just “suggest” alone, prevents the error of treating “suggest” as an exception when it is actually part of a systematic pattern.

Mandative Subjunctive Verbs: suggest · recommend · demand · insist · require · propose · request · order · urge · advise · move

Correct:  “The teacher insisted that every student submit the assignment by Friday.”

Correct:  “The committee proposed that the meeting be held in January.”

Correct:  “He demanded that she leave the room immediately.”

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