## Identifying non-finite verbs 

The non-finite verbs are the infinitive , the present participle and the past participle . 

## The infinitive 

The infinitive is the form of the verb that has ‘to’ before it: 

To run, to dance, to write, to publish, to dine. 

If an infinitive is used in a sentence, there must be a finite verb as well. The infinitive cannot stand alone. Look at the following: 

To run in the London Marathon. 

This is not a sentence because it contains only the infinitive. There is no finite verb. Here is the corrected version. 

He decided to run in the London Marathon. 

This is a sentence because it contains ‘decided’, a finite verb. This has a ‘person’ connected to it and is in the past tense. 

Many people consider it incorrect to ‘split’ an infinitive. This is when a word is placed between the ‘to’ and the verb: 

It is difficult to accurately assess the data. 

The following example is better. The infinitive has not been ‘split’ by the word ‘accurately’: 

It is difficult to assess the data accurately. 

