On verbs: finite and non-finite

There are so many ways to understand grammar. Grammar is a bit like the elephant that the five blind men tried to describe, each of them grabbing on to a different part of the elephant — trunk, tail, leg, body, tusk — each of them convinced that he is correct.

Anyway, I've discovered a different way of classifying verbs. One of the pitfalls of studying on your own from a book you pick up from the library is that the terms you learn may not be the same as the ones used in a test. You stand there holding on to the stringy tail when everyone else has her palm on the body. Naturally, there will be miscommunication.

A simpler way to think about verbs is to classify them into finite and non-finite verbs. Finite verbs are verbs that are signal contrasts in number, tense, person and mood. Its form changes from sentence to sentence, depending on the meaning.

Tense
I walked.
I walk.

Number
He works.
They work.

You get the idea. Now non-finite verbs are what I called verbals in this post. Except you need to throw out the part where I said they don't act as verbs, 'cos in this definition, they sometimes belong to part of a verb phrase. Also, this definition doesn't seem to care too much whether it is acting as a noun (gerund), adverb, or whatever. It even says that the word "gerund" is used by "older grammars". Hmm.

As defined by this grammar, non-finite verbs can be the following:
1. Base form used as an infinitive.
2. -ed participle
3. -ing participle
4. -en form

And I don't even have to worry what the non-finite verb is functioning as. Much simpler, don't you think? But I'm rather fond of the word "gerund"....