Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University

Faculty of Letters Dhar El Mehraz S 3 Grammar

Department of English A. Fassi Fihri S. Slaoui M. Imouri

INFINITIVE PHRASES
Lesson outline:
Infinitives and infinitive phrases
Forms of infinitives:
Bare infinitive
To- infinitive: simple/ progressive/ perfect/ perfect progressive/ passive
Uses and functions of infinitive phrases
Additional notes on infinitives

Infinitives and infinitive phrases

An infinitive consists of the root of the verb preceded by to (and any modifiers or complements
associated with it- see below). Infinitive phrases are non-finite forms of verbs, which means that they
are not inflected for tense. They are verbal constructions which stand for the predicate part of the
sentence, and they do not include information about the subject of the verbal action. Indications about
the tense and the subject of the action are usually found in the main clause of the sentence.

Examples: I/ we/ Moroccans do not need a visa to go to Turkey.

To go to Turkey, I did not/ I will not need a visa.

Forms of infinitives

The bare infinitive (also referred to as Zero infinitive) is the form without ‘to’ (share, study, do). The
following are the most common uses of the bare infinitive.

• After modal auxiliaries: e.g. We must leave now.

• After verbs of perception: e.g. I saw Marry give something to the policeman.
• After the verbs make and let: e.g. Her parents let her stay out until midnight.
Don’t make me wait any longer.

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 • After the expression had better: e.g. we had better stay here.
You had better book your ticket now.
• After why in some questions: e.g. let us do it now; why wait until tomorrow?
• As subjunctive form in noun clauses derived from requests
e.g., the old man advised that his grandson go to a public school.

The to-infinitive

The to-infinitive appears in various forms, as summarized in the following table.

ACTIVE PASSIVE

Simple infinitive To do, to make, to disturb To be done, to be made, to be

disturbed

Progressive infinitive To be doing, to be making, to

be disturbing

Perfect infinitive To have done, to have made, To have been done, to have
to have disturbed been made, to have been
disturbed

Perfect progressive To have been doing, to have

infinitive been making, to have been
disturbing

Examples: I want to do something (simple active).

I want this to be done properly (simple passive).
I don’t want to be doing this now (Progressive).
You must have been careless to have made such a big mistake (perfect active).
I was upset to have been disturbed during the exam (perfect passive).
We are glad to have been receiving good news since you left (perfect progressive).

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NB. When a negative word is used (not, never), it is always placed before the infinitive.

Examples:
we decided not to go.
we insisted that the kids not stay up late.
I regret not to have done this before.
I assured my boss never to come late again.

Uses and functions of infinitive phrases

Infinitive phrases can be used in various ways and assume nominal, adjectival and adverbial functions
within a complex sentence.

Nominal functions

Subject: To go to Mecca is my long-life dream/ it is a bad habit to eat junk food.

Subject complement: My job is to guide new students/ all we can do is to sit and wait.

Object: We decided to go to London/ I don’t accept to have to do something against my will.

Appositive: Ted’s only goal in life, to win the championship, is within his grasp this season.

Note: In a sentence like, I want these books to be put on these shelves, to be can be omitted and the
result is a participial phrase, which functions as a noun-equivalent (intermediate between nominal and
adjectival). The function of the infinitive in this sentence may be considered as object complement, in
the sense that it is similar to the one found in a simple sentence, with a complex-transitive verb, such
as, I want my coffee black.

Adjectival function

Just like adjectives and adjectival phrases, infinitive phrases are used in complex sentences to modify
(describe) nouns, noun phrases or pronouns.

Examples:
The only thing to do now is send them an urgent notice.
I want someone to help me carry this box.
I bought a magazine to read on the train.
Tom had a brilliant idea to share with the rest of the band.

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Adverbial function

Infinitives may be used to modify verbs. They usually answer the question why or for what purpose
(sometimes the subordinate conjunctions, so as and in order are used) Infinitives are also used to
modify other elements, such as adjectives and adverbs (see below).
Examples:
The experts came to check the situation.
They climbed higher to get a better view.
To make a good impression, you should wear a suit and a tie. (See dangling expressions)
She went to London to study Philosophy.
They came to town to collect money for the Red Cross.
To convince these jurors, you will need strong evidence.

Useful notes about the uses of the to-infinitive

• To indicate what something can or will be used for, e.g. I need a box to put these books in/
We must go out; we have nothing to eat.
• After adjectives, using the verb ‘to be’, e.g. it is important to be patient with your patients/I’m happy to
be here (note that a prepositional phrase can be sometimes used to indicate the subject of the infinitive,
e.g. It is important for you to be patient.
• To make a comment or judgment, using the verb ‘to be’, e.g., it was a bad idea to leave the old man
alone. / These are the wrong words to use in this context.
• With adverbs of degree or intensifiers such as too, so and enough, to- infinitives are usually used to
express the reason behind our satisfaction or dissatisfaction, e.g., there are too many people to cater for,
and we don’t have enough food. / The news was too good to be true. / She is old enough to take a
decision on her own. / The land was so huge to cover.
• With wh-words in noun clauses derived from questions (see abridged noun clauses), e.g., they didn’t
know how to fix the air-conditioner. / I forgot where to put this little screw. / Tell me what to do next.

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Additional notes on infinitives
● Infinitive phrases, as in the examples above, include the infinitive and other elements that
behave in similar ways as in finite clauses. They can assume nominal functions and may be
used as objects and complements.

Examples:
He wanted to become a pilot. (SC)
I just went out to buy some drinks. (DO)
Don’t forget to send me the documents. (IO, DO)
At this late hour, we prefer to call it a day (DO, OC)
We just want to know how you escaped. (Noun clause DO)

● Other elements are used with adverbial functions, to modify the action expressed by the
infinitive verb. These can be adverbs, prepositional phrases or adverbial clauses.

Examples:
He tried to leave secretly / without a notice. (Adverbs of manner)
They decided to settle in Seattle / where they were born. (Adverbs of place)
We all agreed to hold a meeting tomorrow/ on the following day/ when Jack comes back. (Adverbs of
time)
● Split infinitives: A Split infinitive occurs when a word, usually an adverb or an adverbial
phrase, is placed between ‘to’ and the verb. It is used as a modifier between ‘to’ and the infinitive.
Splitting infinitives is a matter of choice that speakers and writers make. Most of the time, it is done for
emphasis; however, it may sometimes cause confusion, as in the last example.

Examples:
They seem to really enjoy their new job. (instead of, they really seem to enjoy…)
He promised to constantly respect the directions. (instead of, he promised to respect …. Constantly)
It is difficult to separately control the cats and the dogs. (instead of, it is difficult to control the cats and
the dogs separately)