The Infinitive
THE INFINITIVE
1. Form
The infinitive is the base
form of a verb. It may be preceded by 'to' (the to-infinitive) or stand alone (the base or zero infinitive).
2. Infinitive with or without 'to'
The to-infinitive is used:
·
after certain verbs. e.g. want,
wish, agree, fail, mean, decide, learn
·
after
the auxiliaries to be to, to have to, and ought to
·
in the
pattern 'it is + adjective + to-infinitive'
Examples
with 'to'
·
The elephant decided to marry the mouse
·
The mouse agreed to marry the elephant
·
You will
have to ask her
·
You are to leave immediately
·
He ought to relax
·
She has to go to Berlin next week
·
It's easy to speak English
·
It is hard to change jobs after twenty years
·
It's stupid to believe everything you hear
without 'to'
·
I would rather visit Rome.
·
She would rather live in Italy.
·
Would you rather eat steak or fish?
·
He would rather work in a bank.
·
I'd rather be a forest than a tree.
THE ZERO
INFINITIVE
The zero infinitive is used:
2. after
verbs of perception, (e.g. see, hear, feel) with the pattern verb + object + zero infinitive
Examples:
After auxiliaries:
·
She can't speak to you.
·
He should give her some money.
·
Shall I talk to him?
·
Would you like a cup of coffee?
·
I might stay another night in the hotel.
·
They must leave before 10.00 a.m.
After verbs of perception:
·
He saw her fall from the cliff.
·
We heard them close the door.
·
They saw us walk toward the lake.
·
She felt the spider crawl up her leg.
After the verbs 'make' and
'let':
·
Her parents let her stay out late.
·
Let's go to the cinema tonight.
·
You made me love you.
·
Don't make me study that boring grammar book!
NOTICE that
the 'to-infinitive' is used when 'make' is in the passive voice:
·
I am made to
sweep the floor every
day.
·
She was made
to eat fish even though
she hated it.
After 'had better':
·
We had better take some warm clothing.
·
She had better ask him not to come.
·
You'd
better not smile at a crocodile!
·
We had better reserve a room in the hotel.
·
You'd
better give me your address.
·
They had better work harder on their grammar!
After 'would rather':
Note: this is ONLY when referring to the speaker's own
actions - see 'would rather' in section on Unreal past.
THE
INFINITIVE
NEGATIVE INFINITIVE
To form the negative
infinitive, place not before the to- or zero infinitive:
e.g. not to worry:
e.g. not to worry:
It's hard not to worry about exams.
Examples
·
I decided not
to go to London.
·
He asked me not
to be late.
·
Elephants ought not
to marry mice.
·
You'd better not
smile at the crocodile.
·
I'd rather not
eat meat.
THE
INFINITIVE
INFINITIVE AFTER QUESTION WORDS
These
verbs: ask, decide, explain, forget, know, show, tell, understand, can be
followed by a question word such as where, how, what, who, when or 'whether' + the
'to-infinitive'.
Examples
·
She asked me how to use the washing machine.
·
Do you understand what to do?
·
Tell me when to press the button.
·
I've forgotten where to put this little screw.
·
I can't decide whether to wear the red dress or the black
one.
The
question word Why is followed by the zero infinitive in suggestions:
Examples
·
Why wait until tomorrow?
·
Why not ask him now?
·
Why walk when we can go in the car?
·
Why not buy a new bed for your bedroom?
·
Why leave before the end of the game?
·
Why not spend a week in Beirut and a week in Baghdad?
THE
INFINITIVE
FUNCTION
The most
common uses of the infinitive are:
To indicate the purpose
or intention of an action (where the 'to' has the same meaning as 'in order to' or 'so as to'):
·
She's gone to collect her pay cheque.
·
The three bears went into the forest to find firewood.
As the subject of the
sentence:
·
To be or not to be, that is the question.
·
To know her is to love her.
(Note: this is more common in written English than spoken)
(Note: this is more common in written English than spoken)
With nouns or pronouns,
to indicate what something can be used for, or what is to be done with it:
·
Would
you like something to drink?
·
I haven't anything to wear.
·
The children need a garden to play in.
After adjectives in
these patterns:
·
It is + adjective +to-infinitive
It is good to talk
It is good to talk
·
It is + adjective + infinitive + for
someone + to-infinitive.
It is hard for elephants to see mice
It is hard for elephants to see mice
·
It is + adjective + infintive + of
someone + to-infinitive.
It is unkind of her to say that.
It is unkind of her to say that.
After an adjective +
noun when a comment or judgement is being made:
·
It was a stupid place to park the car.
·
This is the right thing to do.
·
It was an astonishing way to behave.
With too and enough in
these patterns:
too much/many (+ noun)
+ to-infinitive
·
There's too much sugar to put in this bowl.
·
I had
too many books to carry.
too + adjective +
to-infinitive
·
This soup is too hot to eat.
·
She
was too tired to work.
too + adverb +
to-infinitive
·
He arrived too late to see the actors.
enough (+ noun) +
to-infinitive
·
I've had enough (food) to eat.
adjective + enough +
to-infinitive
·
She's old enough to make up her own mind.
not enough (+noun) +
to-infinitive
·
There isn't enough snow to ski on.
not + adjective +
enough + to-infinitive
·
You're not old enough to have grand-children!
THE
INFINITIVE
OTHER FORMS
The infinitive can have the
following forms:
NOTE: as with the present infinitive, there are
situations where the to is omitted, e.g. after most modal
auxiliaries.
|
The perfect infinitive:
|
|
to have + past participle,
e.g. to have broken, to have seen, to have saved.
This form is most commonly found in Type 3 conditional
sentences, using the conditional perfect, e.g. If I had known you were coming
I would have baked a cake.
Examples
·
Someone
must have broken the window and climbed in.
·
I would like to have seen the Taj Mahal when I was in India.
·
He pretended to have seen the film.
·
If I'd seen the ball I would have caught it.
|
|
The continuous infinitive:
|
|
to be + present participle,
e.g.to be swimming, to be joking, to be waiting
Examples
·
I'd really like to be swimming in a nice cool pool right now.
·
You must be joking!
·
I happened to be waiting for the bus when the accident
happened.
|
|
The perfect continuous
infinitive:
|
|
to have been + present participle
Examples
·
to have been crying
·
to
have been waiting
·
to
have been painting
·
The woman seemed to have been crying.
·
You must have been waiting for hours!
·
He pretended to have been painting all day.
|
|
The passive infinitive:
|
|
to be + past participle,
e.g. to be given, to be shut, to be opened
Examples
·
I am expecting to be given a pay-rise next month.
·
These doors should be shut.
·
This window ought to be opened.
|
THE
INFINITIVE
VERBS NORMALLY FOLLOWED BY THE INFINITIVE
A. The to-infinitive is used after the verbs in this group, without a preceding noun. The verbs marked * can also be followed by a 'that-clause'
Example:
|
VERB
|
TO-INFINITIVE
|
|
I hope...
|
to see you next week.
|
|
|
THAT- CLAUSE
|
|
I hope...
|
that I'll see you next week
|
List
of verbs normally followed by the infinitive
|
afford
agree1 aim appear1 arrange1 bother care claim1 condescend consent decide1 demand1 determine1 endeavour |
fail
guarantee1 happen 1 hasten have (= be obliged) hesitate hope1 learn long manage offer prepare pretend1 proceed |
promise1
propose prove (= turn out) refuse resolve1 seek seem1 strive swear1 tend threaten1 trouble undertake volunteer vow1 |
1 These verbs can only be followed by a 'that-clause' when they have the subject 'it'.
Example
·
It appeared that no-one had locked the
door.
Examples:
·
He claimed to be an expert.
·
I managed to reach the top of the hill.
·
I know you're only pretending to love me!
·
Don't pretend that you know the answer.
·
She failed to explain the problem clearly.
·
The customs man demanded to search our luggage.
·
I can't afford to go out tonight.
VERBS NORMALLY FOLLOWED
BY THE INFINITIVE
B. These are the most common of the verbs that are normally
followed by a noun + infinitive. The verbs marked * may also be followed by a 'that-clause'.
Example
|
VERB
|
NOUN
|
INFINITIVE
|
|
He reminded
|
me
|
to buy some eggs.
|
|
|
|
THAT-CLAUSE
|
|
He reminded
|
me
|
that I had to buy some
eggs.
|
|
accustom
aid appoint assist cause challenge command* defy direct* drive empower enable encourage entice |
entitle
entreat force get implore* incite induce inspire instruct* invite lead leave (make someone responsible) oblige |
order*
persuade* press prompt provoke remind* require* stimulate summon teach tell tempt trust* warn* |
Notes:
* command, direct,
entreat, implore, order, require, trust:
there is no noun between these verbs and a 'that-clause':
there is no noun between these verbs and a 'that-clause':
·
The general commanded his men to surrender.
·
The general commanded that his men should surrender.
persuade and remind:
there is always a noun between these verbs and a 'that-clause':
there is always a noun between these verbs and a 'that-clause':
·
You can't persuade people to buy small cars.
·
You can't persuade people that small cars are better.
instruct, teach, warn:
the noun is optional between these verbs and a 'that-clause':
the noun is optional between these verbs and a 'that-clause':
·
She taught her students to appreciate poetry.
·
She taught her students that poetry was valuable.
·
She taught that poetry was valuable.
Examples
·
The professor challenged his students to argue with his theory.
·
This law empowers the government to charge more taxes.
·
You can't force me to do something I don't agree with.
·
You are obliged to drive on the left in England.
·
I invited the new student to have dinner with me.
·
What inspired you to write this poem?
·
The elephant told the mouse to climb up his tail.
VERBS NORMALLY FOLLOWED
BY THE INFINITIVE
C. These are the most common
of the verbs followed by a to-infinitive,
with or without a noun.
Example
·
I asked him to show me the book.
·
I asked to see the book.
|
ask*
beg* choose dare desire* elect |
expect*
help mean* (=intend) request* want wish* |
The
verbs marked * can also be followed by a that-clause
Note:
dare: In
negative and interrogative sentences the infinitive with or without 'to' is
possible, though it is more common to omit the 'to':
·
I never
dared tell him what happened.
·
Dare you tell him the news?
·
Would you dare (to) jump out of a plane?
Examples
We've
chosen John to represent the company at the conference.
·
The driver didn't try to stop after the accident.
·
We expect you to do your best in the exam.
·
Do you want to go to the beach?
·
Do you want me to go with you to the beach?
·
You are requested to be quiet in this library.
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