EXTENDED NON-FINITE STRUCTURES
Non-finite VGs do not possess the full set of sequences that we find in finite groups because they do not express the grammatical meanings of tense, mood or modality.
The perfect, progressive and passive meanings can, however, be expressed in the non-finite VG, giving the following possible combinations (the bracketed form is not common):
Infinitive structures Participle structures
25 to have driven having driven
26 to have been driving having been driving
27 to have been driven having been driven
28 to be driving (being driving)
29 to be driven being driven
Lexical auxiliaries can of course also be incorporated into non-finite structures, making for even longer combinations, which can be produced spontaneously when they are needed, as in the example:
Having been about to be operated on more than once, he was sent home without having had the operation.
With an appropriate lexical verb and an appropriate context, such as someone who is teaching needing extended time to complete an essay on a course she is following, the participial sequence of being + V-ing is acceptable, as in the following well-known example from Michael Halliday:
You might get an extension on the grounds of being teaching.
