What is the infinitive. Infinitive
Infinitive is the basic, impersonal form of the verb. sign infinitive in English language is a particle to, for example: (to) go, (to) be, (to) ask, (to) fight, (to) understand, (to) walk.
English infinitive combines the characteristics of a verb and, to some extent, a noun. The latter is expressed in the fact that the infinitive can act in a sentence as a subject, object, predicate, definition, circumstance, and some others.
For example:
To learn is important.
Doctrine important. ( The infinitive functions as the subject.)
The most important thing is to learn.
The most important thing is to study. (The infinitive functions as a predicate.)
He wants to learn.
He wants to study. (The infinitive functions as a complement.)
Negative forms of the infinitive are formed by adding a negative particle not to the infinitive.
For example:
I decided to invite them. – I decided not to invite them.
I solved them to invite. - I solved them. do not invite.
Forms of the infinitive in English
There are several forms of the infinitive in English, which are discussed in detail below. To better understand the difference between the listed forms of the infinitive, you need to have a good understanding of tenses and voice in English.
Continuous Infinitive / Progressive Infinitive
Way of education: (to) + be + present participle
Examples: (to) be writing, (to) be reading, (to) be walking, etc.
Continuous Infinitive(also called Progressive Infinitive) is used to show that actions or events will occur at the moment of speaking.
For example:
I happened to be waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
It so happened that I waited the bus when the accident happened.
You must be joking.
You probably, joking.
Perfect Infinitive
Way of education: (to) have + past participle
Examples: (to) have received, (to) have broken, (to) have seen, etc.
Perfect Infinitive can be used in the same situations in which the past tense is used, or the tenses of the Perfect group (see verb tenses).
For example:
I am happy to have left school. (= I am happy that I have left school.)
I am glad that graduated school.
You seem to have annoyed him. (= It seems that you have annoyed him.)
It seems that you annoyed.
It is nice to have finished work. (= It is nice that I have finished work.)
Nicely finish work.
Perfect Infinitive often used to describe impossible actions in the past tense.
For example:
If you had run a bit faster, you would have won.
If you ran a little faster, you would won.
You should have told me you were coming.
I needed to tell that you will come.
Passive Infinitive
Way of education: (to) be + past participle
Examples: (to) be given, (to) be seen, (to) be loved, etc.
Passive Infinitive passive voice).
For example:
Everybody wants to be loved.
Everyone wants to be loved.
There is a lot of work to be done.
Need execute a lot of work.
She ought to be told about it.
She should about it to tell.
Perfect Passive Infinitive
Way of education: (to) + have been + past participle
Perfect Passive Infinitive has the same meaning as regular verbs in Passive Voice (see passive voice).
For example:
They were lucky - they could have been killed.
They were lucky - they could kill.
Perfect Continuous Infinitive / Perfect Progressive Infinitive
Way of education: (to) have been + present participle
Examples: (to) have been crying, (to) have been wanting, etc.
Perfect Continuous Infinitive(also called Perfect Progressive Infinitive) is used in the tenses of the Perfect Continuous group (see tenses of the verb).
For example:
We have been waiting for ages.
We we wait for an eternity already.
how long have you been living here?
How long have you been here live?
Using the infinitive without the particle to
Usually infinitive in english used with particle to. But in some cases the infinitive is used without a particle to. Such cases are discussed below.
1. After modal verbs:
We can manage it.
We'll get through this.
We must get someone to paint the roof.
We need to get someone to paint our roof.
You may go now.
You can go.
2. After modal constructions ( would rather, had better):
You had a better consult a doctor.
You'd better go to the doctor.
I would rather go alone.
I would rather go alone.
3. After the verb do used as an intensifying verb:
I do admit that I was wrong.
Yes, I admit that I was wrong.
But you did say that!
But you said it!
4. With a verb let in the meaning of "allow" or incentive sentences:
Let him go.
Let him go.
Let me help you with the translation.
Let me help you translate.
5. In combination with verbs of perception to see, to hear, to watch etc., if they are not in the passive voice:
I saw her light the lamp.
I saw her light the lamp.
We heard her sing a song.
We heard her sing a song.
We watched them play.
We watched them play.
6. After the verb make in the meaning of "force", if it is not in the passive voice:
They made me wait.
They made me wait.
He made me come.
He made me come.
7. After the verb help allowed to drop a particle to:
She helped the child (to) lift the box.
She helped the child lift the box.
If in cases 5-7 the passive voice is used, then the particle to required:
She was heard to sing a song.
Heard her sing the song.
She was made to pay back the money.
She was forced to pay the money.
He was helped to lift the box.
They helped him lift the box.
8. After unions and, or, except, but, than, as and like in the case when they are used to connect two infinitives:
It is as easy to smile as frown.
It's as easy to smile as it is to frown.
Do you want to have lunch now or wait till later?
Do you want to have lunch now, or wait?
We had nothing to do except look at the cinema posters.
We had nothing to do but look at movie posters.
9. After why and why not in the question:
Why pay more at other shops? We have the lowest prices.
Why pay more at other stores? We have the lowest prices.
Why not make it up with him?
Why not apologize to him?
The infinitive and its use are discussed in more detail in the section
Infinitive- an indefinite form of the verb without signs of person, number, tense, voice, mood and gender: lie, drive, read. O n expresses only the meanings of the form (write - write), transitivity and intransitivity (paint, lie).
Like the nominative form of a noun, the infinitive is the original form of a verb that is given in dictionaries. The infinitive consists of a stem and a suffix. Most verbs have the suffix in the infinitive-th, following after the final vowel stem: weaken, crush, prick, blow.
Some verbs have the suffix-ti: go, carry, crawl, save, grow, lead, bloom, weave, revenge, carry, gnaw, pronounce, wander, row, scrape, shake, prefixed verbs with the same roots, as well as the verb to get out (used in literary language along with get out). Suffix-tialways stands under stress; the exception is verbs with a prefixyou-having an accent on this prefix: grow, fade, etc.
Some verbs have a suffix in the infinitive -whose: burn, lie down, clothe, attract, entertain, bake, guard, whip, flow, neglect, shear, reach (along with reach), crush, be able, etc., as well as in prefixed verbs with the same roots: ignite , roll over, bake, etc.
In the vast majority of verbs, the stem of the infinitive coincides with the stem of the past tense. The exception is:
1) -well-wellmay be missing:
die, die and die-well; fade, fade and fade-l;
2) verbs with suffix-whose, in which the infinitive stem ends in a vowel, and in the past tense stem this vowel is followed by a consonantto or G:
take care - take care, be able - could, attract - attracted, bake - baked;
3) verbs whose infinitive stem ends in-e or -and, and these vowels are absent in the basis of the past tense:
tere-t - ter, measure-t - measure, stretch-t - stretched, make a mistake - mistake, etc .;
4) verbs whose infinitive stem ends in-With, and based on the past tense-With alternates with -b:
scratch-ti - scraper, gre-ti - row, or cut off: me-ti - chalk, ples-ti - weaved, class - cla-l, swear - swear-l, es-t - e-l .
In a sentence, the infinitive performs the syntactic functions of a subject (Smoking is harmful), a simple verbal predicate (The main thing is not to worry), the main member of an infinitive sentence (Open to him? Line up!), Part of a complex verbal predicate (He wants to sleep. I started reading.), additions (I ask you to speak loudly), an inconsistent definition (“Impatience to get to Tiflis took possession of me” Pushkin), circumstances of the goal (“The month majestically rose in the sky to shine on good people and the whole world” Gogol).
The infinitive also appears as part of the future compound tense: I will write. Subordinate in a sentence to the personal form of the verb, the infinitive can be subjective or objective. The subject infinitive denotes an action whose subject is the same as the subject of the personal form of the verb (He began to write). The object infinitive denotes an action whose subject is the object of the personal form of the verb (He recommended me to write an article).
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This article will tell you about the infinitive in English.
The infinitive is the indefinite form of the verb. This form expresses action, but does not show a person or number. The infinitive answers the questions "what to do?", "what to do?": to run- run/run away to cook- to prepare / prepare. In a sentence, the infinitive can be used with the particle to and without it. In the article "" we talked in detail about these rules.
The infinitive can freely "travel" through the sentence. It usually plays the role of:
- Subject
to walk alone late at night is very dangerous. - Walk alone late at night is very dangerous.
- Parts of the predicate
My decision is to stay here for a couple of days. - My decision - stay here for a couple of days.
- Add-ons
Many people hate to lose. - Many people hate lose.
- Definitions
She was the best to solve this problem. - She's the best decided this task.
- Circumstances
You can break this model. It was made to be tested. – You can break this model. She was made for testing.
Now we will move on to the most interesting part of our article - the forms of the infinitive.
Forms of the infinitive in English
In English, the infinitive has no less than four forms: simple ( simple), long ( continuous), perfect ( perfect), perfect continuous ( perfect continuous ). They may actually exist active) and passive voices ( passive).
Let's look at the table in which the verb is presented to ask(to ask) in different forms.
| Infinitive | Simple | continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | to ask | to be asking | to have asked | to have been asking |
| passive | to be asked | to be asked | to have been asked | to have been asked |
In Russian there is no such variety of infinitive forms as in English. For this reason, when translating, we will most often use a simple infinitive or a verb in a personal form.
In fairness, it should be said that the continuous and perfect continuous passive infinitives are used extremely rarely in English.
Let's learn more about the forms themselves and their uses:
- Simple Infinitive- simple infinitive
This is the form that we are used to seeing in the dictionary. It is usually used to indicate an action in the present or future tense.
I'm really glad to see you again. - I am very happy see you again.
This work should be done immediately. - This work should do immediately.
- Continuous Infinitive- long infinitive
A long infinitive indicates a continuous action. This infinitive, like the simple one, denotes an action in the present or future tense.
He must be still reading a magazine. - He's probably still is reading magazine.
Please note that according to the classical rules between the particle to and other words are not put in the infinitive. But in modern colloquial language, an adverb may appear between them. This construction of the sentence is not considered a mistake, but in formal English it is better to avoid splitting the infinitive.
- Perfect Infinitive- perfect infinitive
The perfect infinitive names an action that happened before the moment of speech specified in the sentence or before another action.
I'm sorry to have told him this secret. - I'm sorry that I told him this secret.
There is a drawing on the table. This sketch must have been made by George. - There is a drawing on the table. This sketch must be was made George.
- Perfect Continuous Infinitive- perfect continuous infinitive
This infinitive shows an action that lasts until a certain moment or another action in the present.
He is dissatisfied to have been living here for five years. He is very unhappy with lives here for five years.
In conclusion, we suggest you watch a video in which the teacher Alex talks about the features of infinitives in the active and passive voices. And don't forget to take a little quiz that will help you remember the forms of the infinitive better.
Test
Infinitive in English: forms and their use
Infinitive in English is an impersonal form of the English verb, which denotes only an action, indicating neither person nor number. The infinitive answers the questions: what to do? what to do?
To speak - speak
In Russian, the infinitive is often called indefinite form of the verb. It is the infinitive that is given in dictionaries as the initial form of the verb.
The formal sign of the infinitive in English is the particle to, which is omitted before the infinitive in some cases.
I was happy to see the car stop.
I was glad to see that the car had stopped.
He must leave before 11 a.m.
He must leave before 11 am.
Infinitive forms
The infinitive in English has four forms in the active (active) voice and two in the passive (passive). Passive forms have only a simple and perfect infinitive of transitive verbs, i.e. verbs used with an object:
- Simple infinitive in the active voice:
pauline likes to write letters.
Polina loves to write letters.
- Continued infinitive:
What is Pauline doing? She must be writing a letter.
What is Polina doing? She must be writing a letter.
- Perfect infinitive in the active voice:
Pauline is glad to have written that letter.
Polina is glad that she wrote this letter.
- Perfect Continuous Infinitive:
Pauline must have been writing that letter since morning.
Polina must have been writing a letter since morning.
- Simple passive infinitive:
This letter seems to be written in pencil.
It looks like this letter was written in pencil.
- Perfect infinitive in the passive voice:
The forms of the infinitive clearly reflect the relationship with the verb-predicate in the sentence.
A simple infinitive in the active and passive voice is used when the action that it expresses either occurs simultaneously with the action expressed by the verb-predicate in the personal form, or is irrelevant to the time of the action:
I am happy to see you. (simultaneous action)
I'm glad to see you.
I like to be given gifts.(action irrespective of time)
I like it when they give me gifts.
To show that an action is in the future, the simple infinitive is used after modal verbs. may, must, should, ought to and after verbs to expect- expect, to intend- to intend to hope- hope to want- want, etc. For example:
You may come tomorrow.
You can come tomorrow.
He must do it immediately.
He must do it immediately.
You should put on a warm hat.
You should wear a warm hat.
I expect to see you next week.
I expect to see you next week.
I intend to go to the seaside this summer.
I intend to go to the sea this summer.
I hope to find him at home.
I hope to find him at home.
Continuous infinitive emphasizes the duration of the action, simultaneous with the verb-predicate:
The form perfect continuous infinitive indicates that the action expressed by the infinitive began before the action expressed by the verb-predicate, and continues to this day:
She seems to have been cooking since morning.
She seems to have been cooking since morning.
Infinitive in perfect form is used to denote an action preceding the action expressed by the verb-predicate:
I'm sorry not to have told you about it earlier.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier.
Perfect infinitive after modal verbs must and May expresses the assumption that the action has already taken place:
After modal verbs should, ought to, could, might, was/ were The perfect infinitive denotes an action that should have or could have taken place, but actually did not happen.
The infinitive in translation from Latin means "indefinite". It is more common to hear and use the term indefinite form of the verb. The infinitive of a verb in Russian is an interesting and complex phenomenon.
Linguistics about the infinitive
The infinitive denotes the action of the verb, always answers the questions what to do? (non-Sov. v.) or what to do? (Sov. V.).
Linguistic scholars have different opinions about the functions and usage of the infinitive. End - t, - ti cause discussion. Some argue that this is a suffix, while opponents call it an ending.
The word in this form also denotes an action, but without regard to person, number, grammatical tense and mood. The infinitive cannot define these non-permanent signs. But there are permanent grammatical features, they are defined. This is a kind, transitivity, conjugation.
Any verb in the dictionary is represented by the infinitive form. As the original form of a noun is the nominative case, so the verb is the infinitive.
In the linguistic dictionary, you can find out that historically this is not a verbal form, but the form of a noun of the 3rd declension in the indirect case (to know - to know, to become - to become, to bake - stoves). In this, linguists are almost unanimous.
In syntax, the infinitive also shows originality. Nominal origin allows the sentence to act as different members of the sentence.
Infinitive - subject and predicate
The infinitive subject in a two-part sentence usually takes a position before the predicate. It can easily be replaced by a verbal noun.
Example.
Smoking is prohibited here. (Cf. Smoking is prohibited here.)
Smoking is injurious to health. (Smoking is bad for health.)
The infinitive can be part of a simple verbal predicate (future compound tense, inflective). The lexical meaning expresses the imperfective verb in the indefinite form, and the grammatical meaning is the conjugated verb to be.
Example.
I will speak to the whole world.
Smoke will curl along the river.
In a compound verbal predicate, the infinitive is an indispensable component that contains the lexical meaning.
Example.
I couldn't look around for a long time.
I was ready to love the whole world.
The infinitive as a complement
This word form can denote an action as an object of someone's activity.
Example.
The beginning of the rain forced to return to the tent.
My father asked me (about what?) to put the kettle on.
The object should not be confused with the predicate. Actions are performed by different objects. (Father asks, and I will put the kettle on).
The infinitive as a definition
Often a verb in the indefinite form refers to a noun and is an inconsistent definition.
Example.
The regiment received an order (what?) to cross the river.
Infinitive as circumstance
The indefinite form acts in the sentence as a circumstance of the goal. She explains the predicate with the meaning of movement, answers questions about the circumstance of the goal. The circumstance can be easily converted into a subordinate clause.
Example.
I went out into the air (why?) to freshen up. (I went outside to freshen up).
The doctor came to arrange a vacation. (The doctor came in to arrange a vacation.)
The infinitive is the main member of a one-part sentence.
I like to sleep sweetly, but I am ashamed to get up late. (Definitely personal).
Listen, you need to know the honor. (impersonal).
Our language keeps many secrets, the infinitive of a verb in Russian is not the last mystery.