Points to remember
- An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb; it may be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
- An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive plus modifier (s), object (s), complement (s), and/or actor (s).
- An infinitive phrase requires a comma only if it is used as an adverb at the beginning of a sentence.
Which sentence uses an infinitive as a noun?
Similarly one may ask, which sentence includes an infinitive phrase used as a noun? Examples include, “to walk,” “to read,” or “to eat.” Infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.As a noun, they might act as the subject of the sentence. For example, “To travel is the only thing on her mind.”
What are infinitives used for?
Use infinitives to make a comment or judgment about a noun in a sentence. For example: Climbing the beach cliff is a dangerous way to behave. Here, the infinitive tells us that the judgement is being made specifically about behaviour. More examples of making a judgement with an infinitive:
When to use infinitive verb?
When to use ‘to + infinitive’
- We use ‘to + infinitive’ after specific verbs. (ask to go, plan to find etc.).
- We use ‘to + infinitive’ after most adjectives to give a reason. (happy, difficult etc.).
- We use ‘to + infinitive’ to show purpose, ‘ to & for’ for a full description on ‘to for purpose’.
Can infinitive be used as a noun substitute?
Weegy: Infinitive, gerund, noun clause can be used as nouns or noun substitutes.
What is an infinitive noun example?
Examples include, “to walk,” “to read,” or “to eat.” Infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. As a noun, they might act as the subject of the sentence. For example, “To travel is the only thing on her mind.” As an adjective, they'll modify a noun.
What does infinitive noun mean?
The infinitive is a grammar term that refers to a basic verb form that often acts as a noun and is often preceded by the word "to." "To sing" is an example of an infinitive. noun.
How do you identify the infinitive of a noun?
Make sure you are looking at an infinitive and not a prepositional phrase by viewing the word or words that appear after the word "to" in the sentence. If the word "to" in the sentence is followed by a root-form verb, it is always an infinitive.
What are the 3 types of infinitives?
The forms of an infinitive Simple (present) infinitive. Continuous infinitive. Perfect infinitive.
What are the 5 infinitives?
Here's a discussion of the five types of infinitives.Subject. An infinitive can constitute the subject of a sentence. ... Direct Object. In the sentence “We all want to see,” “to see” is the direct object, the noun (or noun substitute) that receives the action of the verb. ... Subject Complement. ... Adjective. ... Adverb.
How do you find the infinitive in a sentence?
To identify an infinitive phrase in a sentence: First, find the word to. Second, if the word after to is a verb, then it is an infinitive. Third, if the infinitive is in the middle of the sentence, then the infinitive phrase starts at to and ends at the end of the sentence.
What is the infinitive in this sentence?
The infinitive form is the most basic form of a verb. It doesn't have a tense, and it isn't tied to any one subject in a sentence. In the sentence He is going to go to the shop., "to go" is the infinitive.
How do you identify infinitives without?
The infinitive is used without to after modal auxiliary verbs will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might and must. It might rain later in the evening. (NOT It might to rain later in the evening.) I must go now....Infinitives without toI want to go.She wants to sing.It is nice to meet you.
How do you find the infinitive in a sentence?
To identify an infinitive phrase in a sentence: First, find the word to. Second, if the word after to is a verb, then it is an infinitive. Third, if the infinitive is in the middle of the sentence, then the infinitive phrase starts at to and ends at the end of the sentence.
What are infinite verbs examples?
What is an example of an infinitive verb? An infinitive verb is the word "to" + a non-conjugated verb (base verb). They are used often in speech and writing. Examples of infinitive verbs are to be, to do, to see, to eat, and to wear.
What is an infinitive?
Definition of infinitive (Entry 2 of 2) : a verb form normally identical in English with the first person singular that performs some functions of a noun and at the same time displays some characteristics of a verb and that is used with to (as in "I asked him to go") except with auxiliary and various other verbs ...
Where does the word "infinitif" come from?
Middle English infinityf, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French infinitif, borrowed from Late Latin infīnītīvus, from Latin infīnītus "not specified, indefinite, of a verbal form that does not specify person or number" + -īvus -ive — more at infinite entry 1
What is an infinitive verb?
An infinitive is a verb that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb in order to express an opinion, purpose of an objector action, or answer the questions who, what, or why. An infinitiveusually begins with the word “to” and is followed by the base formof a verb (the simple form of the verb that you would find in the dictionary).
What is an infinitive as an adjective?
3. Infinitives as Adjectives An adjective is a word that modifies (adds to or describes) a noun. So infinitives function as adjectives when they modify or describe nouns in a sentence. Example: Joel wants a book to read. In this sentence, the verb is “wants” and the subject is the noun “book.”.
What is an adjective in a sentence?
An adjectiveis a word that modifies (adds to or describes) a noun. So infinitives function as adjectives when they modify or describe nouns in a sentence. Example: Joel wants a book to read. In this sentence, the verb is “wants” and the subject is the noun “book.”. We also see the infinitive “to read.”.
What are some examples of infinitives?
Examples of infinitives include to read, to run, to jump, to play, to sing, to laugh, to cry, to eat, and to go.
What does the infinitive "to go" tell us?
The infinitive “to go” gives us more information about the adjective “excited”; it tells us what the students were excited about (going on a field trip).
When do infinitives function as adverbs?
Infinitives function as adverbs when they are used to give more information about adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs in the sentence.
When the verb "made" is followed by an infinitive, does the infinitive lose the "to"?
When the verb “made” is followed by an infinitive, the infinitive loses the “to.”
What Is An Infinitive?
What is an infinitive? An infinitive is a verbal consisting of to + a verb, and it acts like a subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Infinitives are easy to identify because they’re written with to + a verb.
What is an adjective in a sentence?
An adjective is a word that describes more information about a noun. An infinitive act as an adjective if it modifies or describes a noun in a sentence. Example: Joyce needs a table to read on. Here “needs” is the verb, and “table” is the subject (noun). “To read” is the infinitive, and it acts as an adjective.
What is an adverb?
An adverb is a word that modifies or describes an adjective, verb, or an adverb. It provides additional information regarding an adjective, verb, or adverb. At times, adverbs can answer the question “why.”
Is an infinitive easy to find?
Although an infinitive is easy to locate because of the to + verb form, deciding what function it has in a sentence can sometimes be confusing.
Is "to study" an infinitive?
Here the verb is “desire” and “to study” is the infinitive. “To study” is the direct object of “desire” since it’s the receiver of the action of the verb. Here the infinitive functions as a noun. We can only extend our conversation if we have something in common to share.
Is an infinitive a noun?
Infinitives as Nouns. Keep in mind that a noun can be a person, place, or thing. When used as a subject or direct object in a sentence, an infinitive phrase acts as a noun. In such a case, the subject assumes the role of a verb, whereas the direct object is the receiver of the action of a verb. Example:
What is an infinitive?
An infinitive is formed from a verb but doesn't act as a verb. It acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb, and it is actually made up of two words: to + verb. These two words act together as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Words that are formed from verbs but don't act as verbs are called verbals. There are two other types of verbals: gerunds ...
What are words that are formed from verbs but don't act as verbs called?
Words that are formed from verbs but don't act as verbs are called verbals . There are two other types of verbals: gerunds and participles.
Where to write verbs on angled lines?
Place the word to on an angled line, and write the verb on a horizontal line coming off the angled line.
Is "together" a noun?
The whole phrase together is acting as a noun (the direct object of love ), but you may have noticed that in lakes is an adverbial prepositional phrase. It is telling us where you like to swim.
Do these guys have adjectives?
Yes! Since these guys are formed from verbs, they maintain some attributes of verbs even though they act as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Even if it is acting as a noun, its "verbness" allows it to take adverbial modifiers just like other verbs. (But it can still take adjectival modifiers just like other nouns.)
What is an infinitive?
Infinitives. This handout provides a detailed overview (including descriptions and examples) of gerunds, participles, and infinitives. An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest "stem" form) and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb. The term verbal indicates that an infinitive, ...
What does it mean when you split an infinitive?
Split infinitives occur when additional words are included between to and the verb in an infinitive. Many readers find a single adverb splitting the infinitive to be acceptable, but this practice should be avoided in formal writing.
What does "caroline" mean in the infinitive?
The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb wanted. Carol (actor or "subject" of infinitive phrase) to be (infinitive)
Can an italicized verb take an infinitive object with or without an actor?
In all of these examples the italicized main verb can take an infinitive object with or without an actor.
Is an actor required after the italicized main verb?
In all of these examples an actor is required after the italicized main (finite) verb and before the infinitive direct-object phrase.
Can an actor come between an italicized verb and an infinitive direct object?
In all of these examples no actor can come between the italicized main (fini te) verb and the infinitive direct-object phrase.
Is an infinitive a subject?
However, the infinitive may function as a subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Although an infinitive is easy to locate because of the to + verb form, deciding what function it has in a sentence can sometimes be confusing.
What is an infinitive?
Things are going to get a little complicated so let’s start simply. An infinitive is a verb form that can be found in many languages, and each of them uses infinitives differently. For example, if you have ever studied Spanish, you know that words like hablar (“to speak”), gustar (“to like”), and leer (“to read”) are infinitives. In English, an infinitive is identical to the simple or basic form of the verb you will find if you look one up in our dictionary. Eat, sleep, play, and go are examples of infinitives. As you might know, the first person singular present tense also typically resembles the base form of the verb, as in the sentence I sleep.
What is an infinitive in English?
In English, an infinitive is identical to the simple or basic form of the verb you will find if you look one up in our dictionary. Eat, sleep, play, and go are examples of infinitives. As you might know, the first person singular present tense also typically resembles the base form of the verb, as in the sentence I sleep. ...
What is the difference between infinitive and prepositional phrases?
The following sentences show this difference between infinitive phrases and prepositional phrases: Infinitive phrase: It is time to eat lunch. ( To is followed by an infinitive, not a noun) Prepositional phrase: Bring my lunch to me. ( To is followed by a pronoun) However, there are two things you should watch out for: 1.
Why do we split infinitives?
A famous example of this is found in the opening of Star Trek, which states the crew has a mission “ to boldly go where no man has gone before.” In most cases, the modifier that splits the infinitive is an adverb. Because many sentences would sound awkward if the adverb followed the entire infinitive phrase, we often split an infinitive to make a more natural sounding sentence. You can see this in the following two sentences:
How do you use infinitives?
When an infinitive is used with a function word and other words, we refer to this as an infinitive phrase. This can be confusing, as many English speakers will also refer to infinitive phrases such as to run or to move as simply “infinitives.”
What does "adverbial" mean?
The word adverbial means that something can function as an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and clauses. So, adverbial infinitive phrases can also be used to modify these things. For example:
What modifier splits an infinitive?
In most cases, the modifier that splits the infinitive is an adverb. Because many sentences would sound awkward if the adverb followed the entire infinitive phrase, we often split an infinitive to make a more natural sounding sentence. You can see this in the following two sentences:
Why Should I Care about Infinitive Phrases?
For those learning or teaching English though, life is a little trickier because deliberate consideration must be given to how infinitive phrases function (i.e., as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs) before they can be used or taught. The other issue for language learners or teachers is understanding when to drop the "to" of an infinitive verb (i.e., when to use a "bare infinitive"). This is covered in more detail on the infinitive verbs page.
What is the complement of an infinitive verb?
The complement of an infinitive verb will often be its direct object, and the modifier will often be an adverb. For example: He likes to knead the dough slowly. (The infinitive verb is "to knead.". The complement is its direct object ("the dough"). The modifier is the adverb ("slowly").
What is the infinitive phrase for "to have a big dream"?
To have a big dream requires the same effort as having a small dream. Dream big! (Brazilian-Swiss businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann) (The infinitive phrase is the subject of "requires.") To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something, but to fly is everything.
What is Smashing Grammar?
Written by the founder of Grammar Monster, "Smashing Grammar" includes a glossary of grammar essentials (from apostrophes to zeugma) and a chapter on easily confused words (from affect/effect to whether/if). Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real-life, entertaining examples. All entries conclude with a section highlighting why the grammar point is relevant for a writer and top-level bullet points summarizing the entry. If you like Grammar Monster, you'll love this book. [ More…]
Is a complement an adverb?
The complement of an infinitive verb will often be its direct object, and the modifier will often be an adverb. For example:
Is "to help him who strives to help himself" a noun?
The infinitive phrase "to help him who strives to help himself" is functioning as a noun (i.e., it is the direct object of "loves"). That infinitive phrase contains the infinitive phrase "to help himself," which is functioning as an adverb modifying "strives.")
Is it necessary to avoid split infinitives?
There is no need to actively avoid a split infinitive, which is often the most succinct, accurate, and natural way to convey your thought.
