English Infinitive – Eduma English

Summary

The infinitive form is the most basic form of a verb. Infinitive verbs do not use a tense or conjugation. They typically include the word “to” in front of the base verb: “to go,” “to see,” “to read,” etc.

In-depth Explanation

Infinitives are useful for many reasons. For instance, infinitives let you use verbs as other parts of speech (like nouns, adjectives or adverbs). For example, you can say “I want to eat pizza.”

Here are some of the most common English verbs in their infinitive forms:

To ask
To be

To come
To do
To feel
To give

To go
To have
To know
To like
To look
To make

To say
To see

To want

To work
To think
To use

How to Use Infinitives in Sentences

Below are the most common ways to use infinitive verbs in sentences:

As the subject of a sentence: The infinitive is the first part of the sentence, acting as a noun.

To learn science is our goal in this class.

To understand a new language takes time.

To cook food is a useful skill.

As the object of a verb: The infinitive follows a different verb, acting as that verb’s direct object.

He wants to play a game.

Amanda plans to visit Hong Kong this summer.

We need to clean the house.

To show purpose: The infinitive explains the purpose or reason for an action, acting as an adverb.

She woke up early to watch the sunrise.

Michael called his dad to ask a question.

They went to the pool to exercise.

After nouns: The infinitive gives more information about the noun, acting as an adjective. Sometimes, the infinitive comes after the word “is”, but it still describes a noun.

He has a lot of work to do.

The teacher gave us a book to read.

Carol’s dream is to become an artist. (describes “dream”)

After certain verbs: Some verbs are often followed by infinitives, including verbs related to thinking, feeling, talking and planning.

He hopes to open his own restaurant one day.

Karl decided to walk to work.

We tried to bake a birthday cake for Mary.

After certain adjectives: Some adjectives are followed by infinitives. Usually, these adjectives are related to feelings (like “happy”) or states of being (such as “ready”).

They’re ready to see you.

Megan is excited to start her new job.

He’s not afraid to speak in front of the class.

After question words: In statements, the infinitive can appear after the question words who, what, when, where and how. (Note: Infinitives cannot appear after the question word why.)

We need to decide what to do.

I don’t know when to start cooking dinner.

Luke told Jack how to get to the library.