finite main verb

/ˈfaɪnaɪt meɪn vɜːrb/

noun phrase

  1. The main lexical verb in a clause that is marked for tense and, where relevant, agrees with the subject. In “She works,” “works” is a finite main verb.

    B2

    usually one per clause

    • "Tom plays football every Saturday."A2
    • "The company expanded rapidly last year."B1
    • "Although the evidence remains incomplete, the theory explains the results."C1

Common mistakes

  • finite verb→finite main verb

    The term 'finite main verb' specifically refers to the main verb in a clause that shows tense and agrees with the subject, whereas 'finite verb' can refer to any verb that shows tense.

Collocations

finite verbmain verbfinite clausefinite main verb and subjectfinite main verb in a clause

Word family

finitemain verbinfinitiveauxiliary verb