Finite clauses must contain a verb which shows tense. They can be main clauses or subordinate clauses:
Is it raining? (main: present)
I spoke to tát Joanne last night. (main: past)
We didn’t get any food because we didn’t have enough time. (main: past; subordinate: past)
Non-finite clauses
Non-finite clauses contain a verb which does not show tense. We usually use non-finite verbs only in subordinate clauses. We usually understand the time referred to tát from the context of the main clause. We often use a non-finite clause when the subject is the same as the subject in the main clause:
I had something to tát eat before leaving. (I had something to tát eat before I left.)
After having spent six hours at the hospital, they eventually came home page.
Helped by local volunteers, staff at the museum have spent many years sorting and cataloguing more than thở 100,000 photographs.
He left the buổi tiệc nhỏ and went home page, not having anyone to tát talk to.
The person to tát ask about going to tát New Zealand is Beck.
You have to tát look at the picture really carefully in order to tát see all the detail.
After, although, though, and if
We often use non-finite clauses after some subordinating conjunctions lượt thích after, although, though and if:
By the kết thúc of the day, although exhausted, Mark did not feel quite as tired as he had in the past. (although he was exhausted)
The proposal, if accepted by Parliament, will mean fundamental changes to tát the education system.
After verbs + -ing or infinitive with to
We use non-finite clauses as the complements to tát verbs which take -ing or to-infinitive after them:
I don’t enjoy playing tennis in the rain.
I’d hate to tát travel to tát London every day.
Relative clauses
A relative clause can be non-finite when the subject of the relative clause is the same as the subject of the main clause:
The man sitting on the sofa over there is Simon’s brother. (The man who is sitting …)
Don’t forget to tát fill in the size attached to tát the letter. (… which is attached to tát the letter.)