Infinitives

Non-finite verbs (or verbals) is a term used to describe a verb that does not show a tense, person or distinction in number. In a sentence it does not function like a verb and normally it cannot stand alone as a main verb.
The main types of non-finite verbs are infinitives (with or without to), -ing forms (also known as present participles and gerunds) and past participles (also called -ed forms).

Watching TV and going to the cinema are not my cup of tea.
Kate distinctly remembers locking the door but she forgot to put the key under the mat.

In the first example ‘watching’ and ‘going’ are non-finite verbs (gerunds) and only ‘are’ is a finite (main) verb. In the second sentence ‘remembers’ and ‘forgot’ are the main verbs, showing the tense and the person, while ‘locking’ (gerund) and ‘to put’ (infinitive) are the non-finite verbs.

INFINITIVES

The infinitive is the base form of the verb. Talking about the infinitive, we usually refer to the present infinitive, which is the most common one.

Forms of Infinitives:

The present infinitive
(to) + base form

The porter saw the thieves come into the building.
Garry heard her sing in the bathroom.
The inspector made her admit the truth.

The perfect infinitive
(to have + past participle)

Jill pretended to have lost my number so that’s why she didn’t call.
She claims to have met a lot of famous people.
We hope to have finished the project by the end of this year.

The passive infinitive
(to be +past participle)

She expects to be promoted.
I want to be understood.
This meal can’t be eaten.

The negative infinitives is formed by putting NOT before any form of the infinitive.

Try not to laugh when she appears on the stage.
I decided not to leave the meeting.
She demanded not to be left out from the list. (passive form)

THE USE OF INFINITIVE

1

to show the purpose of an action

She is here to explain us how it works.
I opened the window to let some fresh air in.
I’ve just come to say that I love you.

2

as an object of a sentence

She wanted everybody in the room to stand up and to raise their hands.
I asked her to leave the room.
He reminded me again to follow the rules.

3

after most adjectives

They are not likely to find solution anytime soon.
I am happy to announce the good news.
It’s dangerous to walk alone in this park at night.

4

to substitute the dependant clause

The captain was the last to leave the ship. (=who left the ship)
I was the only one to be awarded. (=who was awarded)

5

as a complement after many verbs

The management agreed to set up a new round of negotiation with the union.
Despite all the difficulties, we managed to finish the job in time.
I promised not to be late again.

6

with question words (where, how, what, who & when)

He showed me how to use the chainsaw.
Nobody knew what to do or where to go.
She explained who to turn to if we are in trouble.

7

in fixed phrases

To be honest, this is the worst performance I have ever seen.
To cut the long story short, we were not meant for each other.
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t surprised at all.
Needless to say, you’re more than welcome to the party.

8

TOO/ENOUGH + TO-infinitive

Too old to rock’n’roll but too young to die.
She gave us enough time to finish the quiz.
I hope this is not too hard to understand.

Verbs followed by an ‘to-infinitive‘

agree
afford
appear
ask
be dying
beg
begin
care

choose
claim
continue
dare
decide
demand
deserve
expect

happen
hesitate
intend
need
pretend
promise
refuse
seek

tend
threaten
turn out
used
wait
wish
would like
want

She demanded to get a higher salary.
The naughty boy promised not to make any problem again.
The officer demanded to see the documents.
The culprit refused to answer to the judge.
Having seen the problem, John decided to give a hand to the victims.
The disturbed customer threatened to sue the whole company.
The police claim to have known the reason for the kidnapping.

Verbs followed by an ‘OBJECT + to-infinitive‘

advise
allow
beg
choose
threaten

convince
enable
encourage
expect
force

hire
instruct
order
permit
persuade

remind
require
tell
want

The bouncer advised us to leave the room.
The company had to hire a subcontractor to finish the job on time.
The police officer forced him to stand against the wall.
Everybody wanted us to continue with the concert.

Verbs followed by an infinitive (without TO)

see, watch, hear, listen, feel, let, help, make, smell and adverb ‘why’

I have never heard them play so energetically.
I saw the burglar jump over the fence and sneak into the garage.
Why do you always make me feel anxious?
I felt the ground shake beneath my feet.
I didn’t let you use my laptop, did I?
Can you help me finish this sentence?
Why stay? Why not go there immediately?

Nouns followed by a TO-infinitive

ability
advice
ambition
arrangement
attempt

chance
choice
decision
dream
failure
intention

permission
plan
promise
proposal
order
refusal

reminder
request
suggestion
tendency
way
wish

If you don’t have the chance to change it, why don’t you leave it as it is?
It was a helluva hard decision to make, but we had no other option.
It was Bolt’s second attempt to break the world record.
In order to attract more customers, the company needs to reconsider its marketing strategy.
His ambition to take over the company led to some unexpected consequences.
His intention to win her back failed spectacularly.
John’s ability to deal with stressful situation enabled him to be a good hostage negotiator.

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