Infinitive verbs are commonly used in the English language. Some frequently seen infinitive verb examples are:
- To be
- To do
- To see
- To feel
- To eat
- To go
- To wear
- To sleep
Each of these exemplifies an infinitive verb because it begins with the word "to" and is followed by a non-conjugated form of verb, also known as a base verb. Here is what an infinitive verb would look like when used in a sentence:
- I began to feel better on Saturday.
- It must be nice to be able to sleep so soundly each night.
Identifying Infinitive Verbs: Infinitive Verbs vs Base Verbs
Infinitive verbs are not difficult to identify in sentences. Simply look for the word "to" and check to see if it is followed by a verb. If that verb is not finite, then an infinitive verb has been properly used. One thing to watch for is other verbs in a sentence. If a verb is not conjugated but does not have the word "to" in front of it, then a base verb is being used. Base verbs are the most simple type of verb in the English language because they stand alone, without the presence of "to" in front of them. Base verbs can be used as commands or to describe events in the first or second person. The difference between base verbs and infinitive verbs used in writing may look like this:
- I eat. You eat.
- I would like to eat out tonight.
Forming an Infinitive
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Infinitives can be formed by taking a base verb and adding the word 'to' on to the beginning of it. It is important that the base verb is not conjugated, otherwise an attempt at using an infinitive verb will be used incorrectly. For this reason, infinitive verbs do not work in the third-person (to describe someone else).
Another note is that the word "to" does not always mean the beginning an infinitive verb being used in a sentence. "To" is a preposition, which is a figure of speech describing where or when something is happening. Prepositional phrases can establish location or time, which can be confusing if "to" is being used in a prepositional phase within a sentence with infinitive verbs. See how prepositional phrases work in a sentence with an infinitive verb:
- I moved to the front of the movie theater to see the film better.
In this example, both a prepositional phrase ("to the front") and infinitive verb ("to see") are used. Notice that the prepositional phrase does not include a verb, but uses the word "to" to provide a location within the cinema. The infinitive verb uses the standard format of "to" + an unconjugated verb (see) to correctly show the use of the verb type.
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Infinitive verbs are very common in writing in most languages. They are simple to form and identify because they all follow the same basic format and they are used to form infinitive phrases. Infinitive phrases include the infinitive verb plus any modifiers or descriptors, and can be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
When is an infinitive phrase acts as a noun, it is answering the question "what?". The phrase will be the subject doing or object receiving the action of the verb.
- My job is to write news articles. (Subject Compliment)
- To drink more milk than Jerry is my goal. (Subject)
- Allison wants to go for a drive. (Object)
Used as an adjective, an infinitive phrase helps describe the noun or pronoun in the sentence.
- There is a taxi to take you to the airport. (Describes taxi)
- I hope I get a job to make some money. (Describes job)
- I wish there was a road to get there faster. (Describes road)
Finally, infinitive phrases can be used as adverbs. This means that it modifies the verb and can answer questions like "who", "where", "when", and "how."
- I went to the office to work on my project. (Why did you go to the office?)
- Tasha used her car to get to the store. (Why did Tasha use her car?)
- To get a scholarship, Nick worked extra hard. (Why did Nick work extra hard?)
Infinitive Verbs in Literature
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Infinitive verbs can be seen both spoken and written famously, as they are an everyday figure of speech. In the following literary works, the authors use infinitive verbs to help tell their stories:
- "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." – Herman Melville, Moby Dick (Chapter 1)
- "Once the remaining empty slots were filled, the Scoreboard began to grow in length, to display rankings beyond tenth place. Before long, over twenty avatars were listed on the Scoreboard." – Ernest Cline, Ready Player One (Chapter 16)
- "After a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate the planet while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded on Mars' surface, with no way to signal Earth that he's alive." – Andy Weir, The Martian (Summary)
- " 'All right', said Bilbo, not daring to disagree, and nearly bursting his brain to think of riddles that could save him from being eaten." – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit (Chapter V)
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This lesson has described what an infinitive verb is and provided infinitive verb examples both in writing and in literature. After completing this lesson, remember the following information:
- An infinitive verb is formed by adding the word "to" to the beginning of a base verb. Base verbs are never conjugated and are used in the first and second person.
- Nonfinite verbs do not have a tense or subject and are not conjugated. They are infinitive verbs, and sometimes are used in the third person plural form without the word "to."
- A verb becomes conjugated, or finite, when -ed or -ing are added onto the end of the verb. Finite verbs contain a tense and follow a subject. For regular verbs, ending -s or -es appears when being used in the third person singular form, e.g. "He walks" or "He goes".
- Watch out for how the word "to" is used in a sentence. Ensure that it is not being used as a preposition to give time or location as part of a prepositional phrase.
- Infinitive phrases are an infinitive verb plus nouns or adjectives which modify them.
- There are three types of infinitive phrases: noun (describes what the subject is doing or receiving the action of the verb), adjective (describes the noun), and adverb (describes "who", "where", "when", and "how" the subject is doing something by modifying the verb).
- Infinitive verbs are common in all languages. They are used in many famous literary works and in everyday language!
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Video Transcript
Definition of the Infinitive Verb Form
When we use the word 'to' before a verb in a sentence, we are using the infinitive verb form. However, what can be confusing is that the infinitive phrase -- 'to' plus a verb -- does not act like a verb at all but rather takes on the role of a noun, adjective or adverb in a sentence. For example, we have this famous sentence from Hamlet: 'To be or not to be: that is the question.'
The phrase 'to be' is acting as the subject of the sentence. It is as if the verb phrase puts on the costume of a noun, adjective or adverb and plays the role of a part of speech other than itself.
Any verb that is preceded by the word 'to' is an infinitive. Here are some examples: 'to love, to eat, to run, to believe, to follow, to laugh, to stare, to wonder.'
Infinitives as Nouns
Here are some examples of infinitives that are used as nouns in sentences:
'To run a marathon was Amelia's greatest dream.' Here, the phrase 'to run' is used as the subject of the sentence.
'Monica wanted to score five goals in the soccer game.' In this sentence, 'to score' acts as a direct object. Remember that direct objects are nouns; they can answer the question 'who' or 'what' and receive the action of the subject.
Infinitives as Adjectives
Now, we will take a look at how infinitives can be used as adjectives in sentences. Take a look at these examples:
'Terrence lacked the motivation to succeed.' In this sentence, the phrase 'to succeed' modifies the noun 'motivation' and takes the role of an adjective.
'Paco disagreed with Molly's penchant to interrupt people when they were speaking.' The phrase 'to interrupt' gives us more information about or modifies the noun 'penchant.'
Infinitives as Adverbs
Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs in sentences. Here are some ways infinitives can be used as adverbs:
'Jimmy must wait to hear the results of the race.' In this sentence, the infinitive phrase 'to hear' modifies the verb 'wait.' Therefore, it's a good example of how an infinitive can be used as an adverb.
Take a look at another sentence: 'It's good to know how to put out a fire.' The word 'good' is an adjective, and 'to know' modifies it; thus, it's an adverb.
Problems to Avoid with Infinitives
The first potential problem to avoid is mixing up infinitive phrases with prepositional phrases. Remember that an infinitive phrase is the word 'to' followed by a verb. A prepositional phrase may start with the word 'to,' but it is followed, eventually, by a noun, as in the phrase 'to the store.' These two types of phrases take on completely different roles in sentences.
The second problem to avoid is the split infinitive. As it sounds, a split infinitive occurs when the word 'to' is separated from the verb in the infinitive phrase. Here is an example:
'Cynthia chose to boldly try a new food.' It sounds really awkward, doesn't it? The infinitive 'to try' is separated by the word 'boldly.' Here is a better way to write the sentence: 'Cynthia boldly chose to try a new food.'
Lesson Summary
When we use the word 'to' before a verb in a sentence, we are using the infinitive verb form. Remember that what makes infinitives so tricky is that they look like verbs, but act like other parts of speech such as nouns, adjectives or adverbs. Identifying infinitive verb forms is fairly easy as they are preceded by the word 'to.' But make sure you don't get them mixed up with prepositional phrases that can also begin with 'to.' Now, can you recognize infinitives when you see them? That was the question Hamlet should've been asking!
Learning Outcomes
After you are done with this lesson, you should be able to:
- Identify the infinitive form of a verb
- Recite examples of infinitives used as adjectives, nouns, and adverbs
- List some of the common errors when using infinitives
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