Non-finite clausesNon-finite clauses

Participle clauseParticiple clause

Participial clauses = adverbial clausesParticipial clauses often express condition, reason, cause, result or time.

EX ：Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bath, not Bristol. （ Because I had taken the wrong train, I

found myself in Bath, not Bristol. ）

Present Participle-  continuous and active action

EX:Seeing an accident ahead, I stopped my car.

（ I noticed that there had been an accident ahead and stopped my car. ）

Past Participle- completed and passive action .

EX ：Having seen an accident ahead, I stopped my car.

（ When I saw the accident ahead, I stopped my car. ）

Infinitive ClausesInfinitive Clauses

We use both the full infinitive (e.g. to drink) and the bare infinitive (e.g. drink)

Full infinitive:

As the subject of another clause:To give up now seems stupid. As the complement of another clause:Our only option is to get up even earlier in

the mornings.

Attached to another clause ：I came all the way to find out what had

happened.

Bare infinitive clauses ：After rather than ：Rather than open a new packet, why don’t you finish up the remains of this one?As the complement of a pseudo-cleft

sentence:What you should do is try to open it with a knife.Attached to another clause-after ”sense”

verbs (e.g. hear; see) ：I didn’t see anyone come into the room.

Non-finite clause Main clause

Subject

The old manhaving finally nodded off,

everyone began discussing what he’d said.

The house sold at last, we were able to start

planning to move out.

For usto try to find someone at short notice

is asking a lot.

Non-finite clauses with subjects

Non-finite clauses & Non-finite clauses & their subordinate clausestheir subordinate clauses

non-finite clause main clause

finite (relative clause)

Having put the child

who was crying

to bed,

he began preparing a meal for the other children.

Verbless clausesVerbless clauses

Although willing to lend a hand, he’s never around when you actually need help.------> Although (he is) willing……

Without hope, he staggered on.-------> Without (having) hope,…..

Verbless clausesVerbless clauses

We often introduce verbless clauses with－ conjunction ： although

－ preposition ： without

－ prepositional phrase ： at that time

Typical difficulties for learnersTypical difficulties for learners

Comprehension

Learners don’t recognize and understand the structure of the sentence.

They may recognize the structure but have difficulty in locating.

Typical difficulties for learnersTypical difficulties for learners

Speaking and writing

Avoidance

Learners use non-finite clauses far less than native speakers.

Typical difficulties for learnersTypical difficulties for learners

Choosing the wrong forms

Using for+-ing instead of a full infinitive.

* We went to Woolworth’s for buying our spring bulbs.

->We went to Woolworth’s to buy our spring bulbs.

Using for+ bare infinitive instead of a full infinitive.

* Go to England for study English better.

->Go to England for studying English better.

Using a present participle instead of a past participle. *The train robbery, thinking to be the greatest of the century, took place in 1963.

-> The train robbery, being thought to be the greatest of the century, took place in 1963.

Using a full infinitive instead of a present participle.

*I watched them to dance.

-> I watched them dancing.