To-infinitives
To-infinitives are the base form of the verbs preceded by the preposition 'to'. To-infinitives are used in many conditions. In this lesson, we will learn them.
What Are To-infinitives?
To-infinitives are bare infinitives that are preceded by the preposition 'to.' For example, play is a bare infinitive and to play is considered a to-infinitive. To-infinitives are used in many cases.
Why Do We Use Bare-infinitives?
To-infinitives are widely used to express necessity and purpose. Follow the article to find out where and how do we use them.
Using To-infinitives
To-infinitives can be used as:
- nominal
- adverbial
- adjectival
Nominal Infinitives
Nominal to-infinitives can be used as subjects, objects of prepositions, and direct objects. Here are the examples.
I wanted
Using To-infinitive as Subject
To-infinitives can be used at the beginning of the sentence as the subject of the sentence. Here are the examples.
Using To-infinitives as direct Objects
After the transitive verbs, you can also use a to-infinitive as the direct object. Check out the examples to learn them better.
I wanted
They liked
Using To-infinitive as Object of Preposition
We can use a to-infinitive after the preposition as the object of preposition. Here are the examples.
I am about
They couldn't do anything but
using to-infinitives as the subject
Adverbial Infinitives
Adverbial to-infinitives are used to describe an adjectives , adverbs, or main verbs. Here are a few examples.
It was stupid
The plumber came
Adjectival Infinitives
Sometimes to-infinitives can be used to modify a noun. So, they are used as adjectives. Here are a few examples.
That was not a story
The movie is perfectly
Different Forms of To-infinitives
There are different formations of to-infinitives. Check out the list.
- perfect to-infinitive
- perfect continuous to-infinitive
- continuous to-infinitive
- passive to-infinitive
Perfect To-infinitives
A perfect to-infinitive implies a past meaning. The general structure is [to have + past participle]. Here are a few examples.
She is said
In this example, "she was a good nurse in the past, maybe she is retired now."
Peter is known
Perfect Continuous To-infinitive
Perfect continuous to-infinitives follow a verb and are considered as a preceding event. It shows that the action is in progress as well. The structure is [have + been + present participle] Here are the examples.
I am glad
You seem
Continuous To-infinitives
Using continuous to-infinitives means that the verb concurs with the one in continuous to-infinitive form. The structure is [to be + present participle]. For example:
I am happy
They seemed
Passive To-infinitives
We can use to-infinitives in passive form by using the verb to be in different tenses followed by a past participle. Here are a few examples.
The man is
They wanted
Using To-infinitives in Special Structures
We can use to-infinitives to express special concepts. Follow the article.
Be to Do Something
This structure uses the to-infinitive to express activities that somebody is going to do. Here are the examples.
They were
I was
With catenative Verbs
Usually, to make a chain of verbs, you have to add them to each other by using to-infinitives and the to-infinitive is considered the direct object of the catenative verb. Here are the examples.
We decided
The kids like
Elliptical Questions
To-infinitives can be used after interrogative words to make elliptical questions. Check out the examples for more clarification.
They don't know where
Tell me how
Review
To-infinitive verbs can be used in the following forms;
- simple
- continuous
- perfect
- perfect continuous
Comments
