Infinitives

An infinitive is the base form of a verb with to. It can work with another word in the sentence. It does not show person or time by itself.

Many common verbs can take an infinitive after them. This pattern often shows a wish, a plan, or a need. The infinitive keeps the form to plus base verb.

An infinitive can show purpose. It answers the question why. In this pattern, to plus base verb explains the reason for an action.

An infinitive can come after some nouns. It gives more information about the noun. This pattern is common with nouns about plans, time, or work.

An infinitive can come after an adjective. It adds information about a feeling, quality, or situation. This pattern is common in simple sentences.

An infinitive can come after some question words. This pattern gives basic information about an action, choice, place, time, or method. It is used in simple sentence structures.

An infinitive is different from a finite verb form. A finite verb changes for the subject or the tense in a sentence. An infinitive does not change in that way.

You can now recognize infinitives and use them in simple patterns. You can use infinitives after common verbs, after some nouns and adjectives, and after question words. You can also use an infinitive to show purpose and see the difference between an infinitive and a finite verb form.