As the announcement of the 2025 WASSCE results by the examination body continues to generate controversy across Nigeria, stakeholders have been debating issues surrounding the performance of the candidates who sat for the examination. Whether the examination body can prove its critics right or wrong, it may be difficult to deny the possibility that some students who failed the English Language did not perform well in the subject because of their limited knowledge of the use and identification of grammatical names and their functions. In response to this challenge, the Linguists’ Forum, recognising the apprehension students have about this aspect of the English Language, has decided to introduce strategies that teachers and students can adopt to make the dreaded aspect of the English Language a delight for them.
Central to identifying grammatical names and their functions in sentences is the ability to differentiate between a clause and a phrase. To begin with, a clause is generally described as a group of words that has a subject and a finite verb. On the other hand, a phrase is a group of words without a finite verb, or a verb at all. The difference is illustrated in the following examples.
Clause: “When I got home” (This has a subject “I” and a finite verb “got”)
Clause: “Before she saw it” (This has a subject “she” and a finite verb “saw”)
Clause: “Mr Ojo has travelled” (This has a subject “Mr Ojo” and a finite verb “travelled”)
Phrase: “On the table” (No subject or verb)
Phrase: “A beautiful classroom (No subject or verb)
Phrase: “The newly constructed building (No subject; it has a non-finite verb “constructed”)
It can be deduced from the examples that one needs to be able to differentiate between a finite verb and a non-finite verb to correctly establish the distinction between a clause and a phrase. While a clause has a finite verb, a phrase does not. Any verb that occurs in a phrase is not finite. It is a non-finite verb; that is, a verb that cannot be changed into different tense forms.
Finite Verbs vs Non-finite Verbs
A finite verb can be changed from its tense form to another tense form(s), as in:
She “drives” a car.
The verb “drives” can take the following tense forms in the same word environment.
She “drove” a car.
She “is driving” a car.
She “will drive” a car.
She “has driven” a car.
The word “drive” as used above is a finite verb. The examples are, therefore, clauses.
However, non-finite verbs cannot be changed to another tense form(s) as in:
- He loves “to dance.”
It will be wrong to say:
He loves “to dances.”
He loves “to is dancing.”
He loves “to danced.” Etc.
Hence, the verb “dance” in “to dance” is not a finite verb. It is a non-finite verb, making “to dance” a phrase.
- “The newly constructed building” has collapsed.
Although “constructed” as used in the sentence is a verb, it is not a finite verb, as it cannot be changed to another tense form(s). Consider the following:
“The newly is constructed building” has collapsed.
“The newly constructs building” has collapsed.
“The newly will construct building” has collapsed.
“The newly has constructed building” has collapsed.
The word “constructed” as used in “The newly constructed building” has collapsed, though it is a verb, it is not a finite verb. It is a non-finite verb, used as an adjective to qualify “building”. Thus, “The newly constructed building” is a phrase.
Question: Which building has collapsed?
Answer: “The newly (constructed) building” has collapsed.
- The goat was killed by a “moving” train.
While “moving” is a verb, it is not a finite verb as used in the sentence because the tense of the verb cannot be changed to any of:
The goat was killed by a “is moving” train.
The goat was killed by a “was moving” train.
The goat was killed by a “would move” train.
Thus, “moving” is a non-finite verb, which is used as an adjective to qualify “train.” It is part of the phrase “a moving train.”
Question: By what was the goat killed?
Answer: The goat was killed by “a moving train.”
Lateef Iyanda Kugbayi, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Department of English Language
Zamfara State University
Talata Mafara
lateefkugbayi19@gmail.com/+2347032985052