THE USE OF THE FORMS OF THE INFINITIVE

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1. The infinitive has simple, continuous, passive and perfect forms which correspond to the verb forms. Compare:

He is glad that he is attending this conference.

He is glad to be attending this conference.

He is glad he has attended this conference.

He is glad to have attended this conference.

He is glad he has been attending this conference for the past few days.

He is glad to have been attending this conference for the past few days.

He is glad he is invited to attend this conference.

He is glad to be invited to attend this conference.

He is glad he has been invited to attend this conference.

He is glad to have been invited to attend this conference.

2. Like the tenses of other verbals, the tenses of the infinitive are relative and show whether the action named by the infinitive took place before the action denoted by the finite verb or was simultaneous with it.

E.g. The boy was proud to be riding his father’s horse. (Simultaneousness)

I’m glad to have finished the work in time. (Priority)

3. Perfect infinitives are sometimes used to talk about ‘unreal past’: things that did not happen.

E.g. I meant to have telephoned, but I forgot.

4. Negative infinitives are normally made by putting ‘not’ before the infinitive.

E.g. Try not to be late.

You were silly not to have locked the car.

5. Infinitives are generally used with the particle ‘to’. However, there are exceptions:

b) ‘Why’ can be followed by an infinitive without ‘to’. This structure is used to show that the action is unnecessary or pointless.

E.g. Why argue with him? He’ll never change his mind.

‘Why not + infinitive without ‘to’ is used to make suggestions.

E.g. You are tired. Why not take a holiday?

c) ‘Rather than’ is also followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

E.g. Rather than wait any more, I decided to go home by taxi.

d) The infinitive is used without ‘to’ after ‘had better’ and ‘would rather’.

E.g. It’s late. You had better hurry up.

You’d better not wake me up when you get in.

I’d rather stay on my own.

e) The infinitive is used without ‘to’ after modal verbs and in certain infinitive structures that will be discussed later.

6.Normally, the subject of the whole sentence is also the subject of the infinitive.

E.g. Ann will be happy to help you. (Ann will be happy. Ann will help.)

However, if the infinitive needs its own subject, it is introduced by ‘for’.

E.g. Ann will be happy for the children to help you.

Note that the pronouns are used in the object form.

E.g. Ann will be happy for them to help you.

This structure is very common in English. It is used after adjectives, nouns, pronouns and verbs. ‘It’ can also be the subject of a clause here. It often has the same meaning as a that-clause. Compare:

It’s important for the meeting to start in time.

It’s important that the meeting should start in time.

A that-clause is usually more formal than a for-structure.

Examples:

a) after adjectives

I’m anxious for the party to be a success.

She’s eager for us to see her play her part.

b) after nouns

It’s time for everybody to go to bed.

There’s a plan for Jack to spend a year in Japan.

c) after pronouns

Have you got something for me to do?

I must find somewhere for them to live.

d) after verbs

Ann asked for the designs to be ready on Friday.

I can’t wait for them to finish talking.

7. Many verbs in English are followed by ‘object + infinitive’ rather than by a that-clause.

E.g. She didn’t want me to go.

The most common verbs used in this structure are: advise, allow, ask, beg, command, compel, encourage, expect, forbid, force, get, hate, instruct, invite, like, love, mean, order, permit, persuade, recommend, request, teach, tell, want, wish.

Some verbs (let, make, have, see, hear, feel, watch, notice) are followed by object + infinitive without ‘to’.

E.g. I heard her open the door and come in.

Note that only simple active and passive infinitives or participles can be used here. (See Grammar Reference Unit 5).

E.g. I want you to invite her.

I want her to be invited.

If the verbs ‘see’, ‘feel’ and ‘hear’ are used in the meaning of ‘understand’ or ‘people say’ they are followed by a that-clause.

E.g. I saw that Mary was dead tired.

I felt that she didn’t like the idea.

I hear that you’ve come here on business.

8. Many verbs can be used in passive structures with infinitives:

subject + passive verb + infinitive.

E.g. You are supposed to start work at 8.00 every morning.

The most common verbs used here are: see, hear, make, suppose, expect, think, believe, know, consider, say, report, declare.

Note that in this structure all infinitives are used with ‘to’, and all infinitive tense forms occur here.

E.g. He was made to sign the statement.

The strike is reported to have come to an end.

The police are said to be investigating the case.

Since the infinitive has tense forms expressing simultaneousness and priority and does not have a special form to express relative future, the given structure can refer to a future action only if the main verb of the sentence suggests it.

E.g. The talks are expected to be completed tomorrow.

If the main verb does not have this meaning, a that-clause is used.

E.g. It is reported that they will have solved the problem by next week.

(NOT ‘They are reported to have solved the problem by next week.’)