INFINITIVES

An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by the word "to", like "to eat," "to read," or "to learn." Infinitives function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, allowing them to describe actions, purposes, or reasons in sentences.

  • Why Do We Use Them?

Infinitives are used to express intentions, goals, purposes, and preferences. They help us talk about why we do things (purpose) or express thoughts, plans, and wishes. Infinitives also help make sentences sound polite and less direct, which is useful in everyday conversation.

  • When to Use Them?

Infinitives can be used as the subject of the sentence that describes an action as the main topic. They can also be used as objects when they follow certain verbs because they show what action is being thought of or planned.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

  1. Subject: To learn a new language takes dedication.

  2. Object: She hopes to finish her assignment tonight.

  3. Purpose: They exercise every day to stay healthy.

  4. After Adjective: He is thrilled to join the team.

  5. Expressing a Goal: We plan to visit the museum this weekend.

  6. Following Certain Verbs: I need to study for the exam.

  7. Purpose in Actions: She turned on the lights to read more easily.

  8. Expressing a Preference: He prefers to walk rather than drive.

  9. After a Question Word: They asked what to do next.

  10. Explaining Intentions: He went to the library to borrow a book.

VERBS COMMONLY

USED WITH “TO INFINITIVE”

Verbs

  1. want to

  2. need to

  3. plan to

  4. hope to

  5. decide to

  6. try to

  7. learn to

  8. promise to

  9. expect to

  10. choose to

  11. like to

  12. love to

  13. hate to

  14. fail to

  15. refuse to

  16. agree to

  17. manage to

  18. appear to

  19. seem to

  20. prepare to

  21. offer to

  22. continue to

  23. afford to

  24. pretend to

  25. intend to

ADJECTIVES COMMONLY

USED WITH “TO INFINITIVE”

Adjectives

  1. happy to

  2. glad to

  3. eager to

  4. ready to

  5. surprised to

  6. afraid to

  7. willing to

  8. reluctant to

  9. motivated to

  10. excited to

  11. likely to

  12. fortunate to

  13. proud to

  14. determined to

  15. anxious to

PHRASES COMMONLY

USED WITH “TO INFINITIVE”

Phrases

  1. in order to

  2. be able to

  3. have to

  4. too (something) to (e.g., too tired to work)

  5. enough to (e.g., strong enough to lift)

  6. for (someone) to (e.g., for him to learn)

  7. time to (e.g., time to go)

  8. opportunity to

  9. reason to

  10. permission to

WORDS FOLLOWED BY GERUNDS

  • enjoy → She enjoys reading mystery novels.

  • avoid → He tries to avoid eating junk food.

  • consider → They are considering moving to a new city.

  • miss → I miss seeing my friends from college.

  • suggest → He suggests taking the train instead of driving.

  • keep → She keeps trying even when it’s difficult.

  • imagine → Can you imagine living on a deserted island?

  • finish → We finished decorating the house just in time.

  • deny → He denied knowing about the situation.

  • practice → They practice playing the piano every day.

  • dislike → She dislikes cooking when she’s tired.

  • delay → They delayed making a decision until tomorrow.

  • involve → The job involves traveling frequently.

  • discuss → We discussed changing the meeting time.

  • risk → He risks losing his job by being late.

  • recommend → I recommend trying the new restaurant.

  • postpone → They postponed meeting until next week.

  • resist → She couldn’t resist buying the shoes on sale.

  • admit → He admitted stealing the last cookie.

  • mind → Do you mind closing the window?

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