Examples of infinitives or infinitive phrases used as adjectives:
- The fair is the place to go. (tells us which place)
- I have some jeans to wash. (tells us which jeans)
- The singer to watch is Joyce. (tells us which singer)
- The kind of flowers to plant are perennials. (tells us which flowers)
Is infinitive a verb or adjective?
What is an infinitive? An infinitive is a form of a verb that can be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. They're often formed by the base verb with the word to added in front.
What are infinitives examples?
ExamplesThere's too much sugar to put in this bowl.I had too many books to carry.This soup is too hot to eat.She was too tired to work.He arrived too late to see the actors.I've had enough food to eat.She's old enough to make up her own mind.There isn't enough snow to ski on.More items...
What is an infinitive used as a noun?
Infinitives often function as singular masculine nouns. As nouns, infinitives can act as subjects or predicates of sentences as well as objects of verbs and prepositions. The most common translations of infinitives as nouns to English are "to + verb" and "verb + "-ing."
How do you identify an infinitive phrase from an adjective?
0:274:45infinitive phrases - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSimply figure out how the infinitive functions in the sentence. Let's look at some examples JoleneMoreSimply figure out how the infinitive functions in the sentence. Let's look at some examples Jolene loves to sing. Can you spot the infinitive. There it is to sing starts with the word 2 and has the
What are the 3 types of infinitives?
Simple (present) infinitive. Continuous infinitive. Perfect infinitive.
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 infinitive and give 5 examples?
Examples of infinitives include to read, to run, to jump, to play, to sing, to laugh, to cry, to eat, and to go. Remember that although infinitives are verbs, they do not function as verbs, instead they are used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Let's look at some examples.
How do you know if an infinitive is a noun adjective or adverb?
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.
Can an infinitive modify an adjective?
Remember, infinitive phrases can modify nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
What are the 3 functions of infinitives?
An Infinitive performs the following functions in a sentence: Nouns. Adjectives. Adverbs.
What is the difference between infinitive and infinitive phrase?
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).
Can you start a sentence with an infinitive?
You can begin a sentence with a to-infinitive; the "to" is not a preposition (it never is, with a verb), and a to-infinitive or an infinitive phrase can be the subject of a verb.
What is an infinitive give 10 examples?
Examples of infinitives include to read, to run, to jump, to play, to sing, to laugh, to cry, to eat, and to go. Remember that although infinitives are verbs, they do not function as verbs, instead they are used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
What are 5 examples of infinitive phrases?
Infinitive phrases often include modifiers; here are some examples:To study advanced math Adjective modifying “math”To eat a giant sandwich Adjective modifying “sandwich”To play guitar beautifully Adverb modifying “to play”To leave the party quietly Adverb modifying “to leave”
What are the 5 types of 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.
What is a infinitive easy definition?
An infinitive is the basic form of a verb, having no tense and not being conjugated. In English, an infinitive is preceded by the word to. In English, the infinitive form of the verb is the one you will see listed in dictionaries like this one.
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 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 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?
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 the second infinitive in a dog pen?
The second infinitive demonstrates what kind of pen you want. The third infinitive (phrase) tells what type of dog you need. Not a dog to sit on my lap, not a dog to brush, not a dog to breed, but a dog to protect my house. The fourth infinitive states what kind of application.
Is "to talk to her" an adjectival word?
So if I had to choose, I would say that to talk to her is not adjectival. It is adverbial -- an infinitive of purpose.
Is "infinitive" an adjective?
In English an infinitive can be used as either a sustantive ( noun or noun equivalent), adverb, or adjective. When it is being used as an adjective it is answering the questions that adjectives answer: which one, how much, whose, etc.
Do infinitives come after nouns?
If an infinitive is used as an adjective, it has to come after the noun it modifies. You can't infer from that that all instances of infinitives after nouns are adjectival. There are certainly many cases where infinitives come after nouns and are not adjectival, and your example is just one of them. In brief, I said, "If an infinitive is ...
What Is an Infinitive Phrase?
An infinitive phrase starts with an infinitive and includes other modifiers or objects. Like infinitives themselves, infinitive phrases can act in three different capacities:
What is an adverb?
Finally, we have our friend, the adverb. The most popular definition of an adverb is a word that modifies a verb. But, they can also provide further information about adjectives and other adverbs. Let’s take a look:
What is the object of the action verb "likes"?
They receive the action of the verb. Here’s an example: Collum likes to meditate after a stressful day. In this example, "to meditate after a stressful day" is the direct object of the action verb "likes.". The subject, or the person we're talking about, is Collum.
Is "to" a verb?
When “to” is attached to a verb in this manner, it’s no longer working as a preposition. Rather, it becomes part of the verb. Examples include, “to walk,” “to read,” or “to eat.”. Infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
Is "infinitive" a noun?
As a noun, an infinitive phrase will either appear as the subject of the sentence or the direct object.
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.
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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 "to" preceded by "to"?
Most infinitives are preceded by "to," but after certain verbs, the "to" is dropped. This happens when an infinitive follows "can," "could," "may," "might," "must," "shall," "should," "will," or "would" (i.e., a modal auxiliary verb ).
Why is an infinitive phrase an adjective?
In this example, the infinitive phrase functions as an adjective because it modifies the noun, you. The best method to fix the car is to take it to the shop. In this example, the infinitive phrase functions as an adjective because it modifies the noun, method.
What is an infinitive phrase?
Infinitive phrase definition: An infinitive phrase is a group of words that begins with an infinitive and functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
What does it mean when you split an infinitive?
Are split infinitives wrong? Splitting infinitives means that there is a word or words between the infinitive form of the verb.
Why is it acceptable to split infinitives?
Sometimes, splitting infinitives is acceptable because it pertains to a common phrase. In this case, the saying is more important than the grammatical structure. Example: to boldly go where no man has gone before. Here, the adverb, boldly, splits the infinitive “to go.”.
When an infinitive phrase acts as a noun, it can take the place of any noun in?
When an infinitive phrase acts as a noun, it can take the place of any noun in a sentence. That is, it can be the subject, but it can also be the object.
When an infinitive phrase introduces the main clause, should it be followed by a comma?
When an infinitive phrase introduces the main clause, it should be followed by a comma.
Is "to go" an adverb?
Here, the ad verb, boldly, splits the infinitive “to go.” This is acceptable here because this is a pop culture reference.
