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Formation and uses of the infinitive with and without to.
The infinitive is the base form of a verb used in a range of grammatical constructions, commonly with to.
English uses infinitives to express purposes, intentions, complements, subjects, objects, and other relationships.
The most common infinitive form consists of to followed by the base form of the verb.
For example, to work, to study, to leave, and to understand.
The verb following to in a standard infinitive construction is in the base form.
For example, to go, to see, and to write, not to went, to saw, or to wrote.
A negative infinitive is normally formed with not before to-infinitive.
For example, not to go, not to forget, and not to mention.
A to-infinitive can function as the subject of a clause, especially in formal or written English.
For example, To learn another language takes time.
English often uses introductory it when a to-infinitive subject would otherwise be long or heavy.
For example, It is difficult to understand the system.
A to-infinitive can function as a complement after verbs, adjectives, and certain nouns.
For example, She wants to leave, I am happy to help, and He has a chance to win.
Many verbs can be followed by a to-infinitive as part of their complement structure.
For example, want to leave, hope to win, decide to stay, and plan to travel.
A to-infinitive commonly follows adjectives to describe reactions, opinions, difficulty, purpose, or suitability.
For example, happy to help, difficult to understand, and ready to leave.
Certain nouns can be followed by a to-infinitive to describe an action, possibility, purpose, or relationship.
For example, a decision to leave, a chance to win, and a way to solve the problem.
A to-infinitive can express the purpose of an action.
For example, She went to the shop to buy some milk.
In order to can introduce a purpose and is followed by the base form of the verb.
For example, He left early in order to avoid traffic.
So as to can express purpose, especially in formal English.
For example, The system was redesigned so as to improve performance.
A question word can be followed by a to-infinitive to express an action that needs to be decided, learned, or explained.
For example, I do not know what to do, where to go, or how to use it.
How followed by an adjective or adverb can combine with a to-infinitive to describe degree or manner.
For example, I do not know how difficult it will be to solve and She explained how to use the machine.
The to-infinitive can occur in exclamatory expressions to comment on an action or situation.
For example, What a mistake to make! and How nice to see you!
Too + adjective or adverb + to-infinitive expresses that something exceeds a limit necessary for an action.
For example, The box is too heavy to carry.
Adjective or adverb + enough + to-infinitive expresses sufficient degree for an action.
For example, She is old enough to drive and He ran quickly enough to catch the bus.
For can introduce the person or thing understood as the subject of a following infinitive.
For example, It is important for children to get enough sleep.
The continuous infinitive is formed with to be followed by an -ing form.
It emphasizes that an activity is or was in progress. For example, She seems to be working.
The perfect infinitive is formed with to have followed by a past participle.
It normally refers to an action that happened before the time of the main verb. For example, She seems to have forgotten.
The perfect continuous infinitive is formed with to have been followed by an -ing form.
It emphasizes the duration or ongoing nature of an earlier activity. For example, He seems to have been working all night.
The passive infinitive is formed with to be followed by a past participle.
For example, The report needs to be completed and She expects to be invited.
The perfect passive infinitive is formed with to have been followed by a past participle.
For example, He is believed to have been informed earlier.
Use the appropriate infinitive form and distinguish the to-infinitive from the bare infinitive and gerund.
Common mistakes include using a finite verb after to, confusing purpose with result, using to after a modal, and choosing an infinitive where the following verb or expression requires a gerund.