finite
part of speech
adjective (finite)
meaning for a pupil
1) Finite means having an end or a limit; not going on forever. tree →
2) (grammar) A finite verb is a verb that shows tense and agrees with its subject, as in «she runs». tree →
sense in the lessons
In maths, a finite set has a countable number of things; numbers themselves are infinite; in science and geography, finite resources like oil and coal will run out; in grammar, finite and non-finite verbs.
examples
- The Earth has finite supplies of oil. tree →
- Our time on the trip is finite, so let's hurry. tree →
- A finite set has an end, like the days of the week. tree →
- The counting numbers are infinite, not finite. tree →
- In «She sings», «sings» is a finite verb. tree →
note
Opposite: «infinite» (no end). Say it «FY-nite»; but «infinite» is «IN-fin-it». Maths: finite = you could, in principle, finish counting.
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «finite» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.