Question

Fill in the blank with the most suitable non-finite verb to complete the sentence:
You don’t need ___________ yet, there’s still some time left for the guests to come.
a) Cooking
b) To cook
c) Cooked
d) To be cooked

Answer 1

Hint: The verbs that do not explain the tense of the sentence and do not agree with the subject are called non-finite verbs. They are usually of three types, namely – infinitives, gerunds, and participles.

 Complete solution: To find the correct non-finite verb for the above-given sentence we first need to discuss the options given and try to understand what they mean. So, let us have a look at the options and try to understand what they indicate -
‘Option a’, is ‘cooking’ which is a participle form of the verb and is a finite verb as it can explain the tense of the sentence. Hence, we cannot use it here.
‘Option b’, is ‘to cook' which is an infinitive which is a type of non-finite verb as it doesn't explain the tense. Hence, we can use it here.
‘Option c’, is ‘cooked’ which is the past form of the verb and is a finite verb. As the sentence is in the present tense, it is grammatically incorrect to use it here.
‘Option d’, is 'to be cooked' which is used in the passive voice. As the sentence is in the active voice, we can't use it here. To top that it is also grammatically incorrect.

Therefore, the correct option is b, and the sentence would be – ‘you don't need to cook yet, there's still some time left for the guests to come.'

Note: Do not change the formation, tense, and the meaning of the sentence.