In which of the following sentences do we find the non-finite form of sell?

(i) We sell sea shells by the sea shore.

(ii) She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

(iii) To sell sea shells by the sea shore would be nice.

(iv) Eleanor saw Fyodor sell sea shells by the sea shore.

(v) Nevermore, will we sell sea shells by the sea shore.

Question

In which of the following sentences do we find the non-finite form of sell?

(i) We sell sea shells by the sea shore.

(ii) She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

(iii) To sell sea shells by the sea shore would be nice.

(iv) Eleanor saw Fyodor sell sea shells by the sea shore.

(v) Nevermore, will we sell sea shells by the sea shore.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Non-finite verbs are verb forms that do not show tense, person or number: infinitives (to + base), bare infinitives (base form used after certain verbs), gerunds (-ing forms used as nouns), and participles (present or past). Identifying non-finite occurrences of sell requires looking at how sell is marked and what role auxiliaries or subjects play.

Step-by-step analysis of each sentence:
(i) "We sell sea shells by the sea shore." 
- Subject = we; verb = sell. 
- sell here is finite: present tense, agrees with plural subject. Not non-finite.

(ii) "She sells sea shells by the sea shore."
- Subject = she; verb = sells. 
- sells is finite: present tense with third-person -s agreement. Not non-finite.

(iii) "To sell sea shells by the sea shore would be nice."
- The clause begins with to sell: the to-infinitive form of the verb. 
- To sell has no tense marking and does not agree with a subject: it is non-finite (to-infinitive). Therefore (iii) contains a non-finite form.

(iv) "Eleanor saw Fyodor sell sea shells by the sea shore."
- After the perception verb saw, the embedded verb sell appears in its bare infinitive (base) form. 
- Bare infinitives following verbs of perception or causation are non-finite because they lack tense and agreement. So (iv) contains a non-finite form.

(v) "Nevermore, will we sell sea shells by the sea shore."
- This is an inverted future-tense clause: will is the finite auxiliary marking future tense. Although sell appears as the base form after the modal, in traditional school grammar the clause’s finiteness is carried by the auxiliary will; the sentence expresses a finite (future) form. For the purposes of this question, sell here is not counted as the standalone non-finite form targeted in (iii) and (iv).

Why the correct options are correct: (iii) uses the to-infinitive (to sell), and (iv) uses the bare infinitive (sell) after a perception verb—both are classic non-finite forms. Other options are finite verb forms (i, ii) or part of a finite auxiliary construction (v).

Final answer confirmation: the non-finite occurrences are (iii) and (iv).

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