Question

Fill in the blank with the most suitable non-finite verb to complete the sentence:
Don’t forget ___________ some money for me on the table.
a) leave
b) To leave
c) left
d) To be leaving

Answer 1

Hint: A verb which does not tell you what tense it is (past, present, future), is a non-finite verb. Some examples are singing, dancing, etc. In the given sentence, we have to select from the options the non-finite verb which makes the sentence grammatically correct. If the word is signifying a tense, it is not a non-finite verb.

Complete answer:
Option a is wrong because the blank in the sentence needs a preposition along with the main verb. The main verb is “leave” and it needs a preposition to complete it.
Option b is the correct answer because the main verb “leave” is accompanied by the” to” which is a preposition.
Option c is wrong because “left” is a finite verb. You can understand it is in the past tense. If a word is clearly indicating what tense it is, the word is a finite verb. Non-finite verbs do not reveal the tense of the word unless preceded by a verb such as “was, were, will”, etc.
Option d is wrong because “to be leaving” is in the future continuous tense. Also when used in the sentence, it makes the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Note:
Non-finite verbs are a tricky area in English grammar. In the sentence “They will laugh a lot”, the word “laugh” is a non-finite verb. Do not focus on the fact that the word “will” denotes future tense because you are only supposed to focus on the verb: laugh. It does not tell us what tense it is in itself.