Infinitives
Definition:
Infinitives are a base form or root form of verb.
An infinitive consists of the words “to + verb”.
It names an action and is used mostly as a
complement of verb.
For Example:
• Sana loves to sing.
To + sing Infinitive
• An Infinitive is formed by placing ‘to’ before the
base verb.
• To + base verb infinitive
Infinitive as a Non-Finite verb
Infinitive as a Non-Finite verb
• An infinitive is a non-finite verb.
• It is not limited by tense, number or person
For Example:
Person and number Example
• First person singular ‘I’ • I love to sing.
• Second person singular ‘You’ • You love to sing.
• Third person singular ‘He” • He loves to sing.
• First person plural ‘We’ • We love to sing.
• Third person singular ‘They’ • They love to sing.
For Example:
Tense Example
• Simple Tense • Sana loves to sing
• Past Tense • We loved to sing duet.
• Future Tense • She will love to sing at the party.
Types of Infinitives
Full infinitive.
Bare Infinitive
Anaphoric to
Full Infinitive:
To + verb= full infinitive
– We loved to sing
– She is agree to come
Bare Infinitive:
Only verb is used. ‘to’ is omitted here.
– I heard him say it.
– The company made him work long hour
Anaphoric to:
It is used without verb.
‘to’ is used as a substitute for the infinitive and has a
reference for earlier mention verb.
Do you want to leave this restaurant.
Yes, I want to.
Identifying Infinitives
1. Infinitives usually appear after the main
verb in the sentence.
For Example:
• They waited to meet the director.
main verb Infinitive
• Salma was dressed to go for the party.
main verb Infinitive
2. Infinitives are uses after certain verbs like
forget, learn, hope, need, want, agree,
encourage, pretend, decide, refuse, etc.
For Example:
• Sara refuses to leave.
verb Infinitive
• Why do you pretend to like me?
• Hamid forget to shut the door.
3. The infinitive form also appears after
adjectives like happy, pleased, surprise, sad,
disappointed, etc.
For Example:
• I was sad to hear the news.
Adjective Infinitive
• They are surprised to see us.
• I am pleased to welcome you.
4. Infinitives appear after ‘too + adjective’ in
a sentence.
For Example:
• It is too hot to go outside.
• It is too late to turn back now.
5. Infinitives appear after ‘adjective +
enough’ in a sentence.
For Example:
• Your book is heavy enough to use.
• Ali is old enough to make his own decisions.
• You are smart enough to know this is wrong.
6. Sometimes infinitives can appear at the start of
the sentence where they are used as a subject.
For Example:
• To err is human.
• To make mistake is human.
• To pack for vacation can take long time.
7. The infinitive does not always appear with
the ‘to’ before the base verb.
For Example:
• The coach made us run on the field.
• The company makes him work long hours.
8. An infinitive can be used to join sentences.
For Example:
Every team has a captain. He leads the players.
Every team has a captain to lead the players.
8. An infinitive is also used to substitute for
‘so that’.
For Example:
• She went to the shop so that she could help them.
• She went to the shop to help them.
Usage of Infinitives
An infinitive can also be use in different ways in a
sentence.
Person and number Example
• As the subject of the verb • To work there is quite a
task.
• As the object of a transitive verb • Aslam like to eat.
• As the complement of a verb • My only wish is to succeed.
• As the object of a preposition • We are about to leave.
• As an objective complement • You need to go.