{"id":108,"date":"2012-11-10T15:06:00","date_gmt":"2012-11-10T15:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/monkeygrammar.org\/index.php\/2012\/11\/10\/we-hate-grammar-terms-1-finite-and-nonfinite-verbs\/"},"modified":"2020-04-16T12:25:19","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T12:25:19","slug":"we-hate-grammar-terms-1-finite-and-nonfinite-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/we-hate-grammar-terms-1-finite-and-nonfinite-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"We hate Grammar terms (1): finite and nonfinite verbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: This post is about how to make sentences <\/span><\/span>with reference to finite<\/b> and Non-finite<\/b> Verbs.  As the idea of finite verbs do not exist in some languages (for example, Asian<\/b> Languages), I attempt to explain it in a funny<\/b> way:  a crash of two cars<\/b> (verbs).   <\/span><\/span><\/span>In a way, this post attempts to change the way you think about <\/span>verbs<\/b>, <\/span>sentences<\/b>, and of course, <\/span>English<\/b>.   <\/span>
\n
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nDo you know <\/span>what <\/span>the sentence <\/span>means<\/span>?<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Our company decided cut our market share.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span>
\nYes, I think it is easy to understand the sentence. But read it again now, focusing closely on the two verbs:<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Our company <\/span>decided<\/span> cut<\/span><\/span> our market share.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span><\/span>
\n
\n<\/span><\/span>Is there anything wrong with the two verbs coming together? If you think there is <\/span>nothing wrong<\/span> with the sentence, read on. If you think there is<\/span> something wrong<\/span>, read on too (as you\u2019re going to know why it is wrong). <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

First of all, the sentence should be <\/span>corrected<\/span>: Our company <\/span>decided<\/span> to cut<\/span><\/span> our market share.  <\/span><\/span>However,<\/span> what <\/span>is \u2018<\/span>to cut<\/span>\u2019? Is it the same as \u2018<\/span>cut<\/span>\u2019?  <\/span>And the bigger question is: Why<\/span> is it wrong<\/span> to put two verbs together<\/span><\/span>?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Wrong with Two Verbs Coming Together?<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

<\/span>
\nThere is nothing wrong with two verbs coming together, if you are not dealing wtih English. In English, the sentence \u2018<\/span>Our company <\/span>planned cut <\/span>our market share\u2019<\/span> is <\/span>absolutely<\/span> wrong.  <\/span>But <\/span>why<\/span> is it <\/span>wrong<\/span>? Why can\u2019t we put two verbs together? Is it a sin?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n


\n<\/span>
\nIn English, there is a <\/span>hidden rule<\/span> <\/span>that most verbs should <\/span>not<\/span> be<\/span> followed directly<\/span> by another verb. But again, why? Before you know the answer, you have to <\/span>take your car key<\/span> with you. (You don\u2019t have a car, me too. So borrow one.) <\/span>Cos<\/span> you are going to drive on a street, <\/span>the Street of English<\/span>. So have you fastened your seat belt? <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

A Crash of Two Cars (Verbs)<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

<\/span>You may imagine that a sentence is like <\/span>a one-way street<\/span> <\/span>and <\/span>verbs are like <\/span>cars<\/span><\/span>.<\/span> What happens if <\/span>two cars from opposite directions <\/span>running to each other <\/span>at full speed<\/span>?  <\/span>The following diagram expresses the idea well, right?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

—————————————————————–<\/span>
\nplanned—————> < ————–cut<\/span>
\n—————————————————————–<\/span><\/span>
\n(The Street of English)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

So to prevent any car accident (crash) from happening, you have to do something about it. What to do? You add \u2018<\/span>to<\/span>\u2019 between \u2018planned\u2019 and \u2018cut\u2019: ‘<\/span>planned + <\/span>to cut<\/span>‘.                                                                   <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In grammar terms, the verb <\/span>\u2018<\/span>planned<\/span>\u2019 <\/span>is <\/span>finite<\/span> <\/span>but \u2018<\/span>to cut<\/span>\u2019 i<\/span>s <\/span>non<\/span>-finite.<\/span> In other words, the first verb in a sentence is finite and the second is non-finite. So next time when you drive on the Street of English, <\/span>watch out for <\/span>finite and non-finite verbs. <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n            <\/span>                                                                                       <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: This post is about how to make sentences with reference to finite and Non-finite Verbs.  As the idea of finite verbs do not exist in some languages (for example, Asian Languages), I attempt to explain it in a funny way:  a crash of two cars (verbs).   In a way, this post attempts to change the way you think about verbs, sentences, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/sitting-on-window-while-reading-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":800,"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108\/revisions\/800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindpowerasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}