OTHER FORMS
The infinitive can have the following forms:
- The perfect infinitive
- The continuous infinitive
- The perfect continuous infinitive
- The passive infinitive
NOTE: as with the present infinitive, there are situations where the to is omitted, e.g. after most modal auxiliaries.
| The perfect infinitive: |
| to have + past participle, e.g. to have broken, to have seen, to have saved.
This form is most commonly found in Type 3 conditional sentences, using the conditional perfect, e.g. If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.
Examples
- Someone must have broken the window and climbed in.
- I would like to have seen the Taj Mahal when I was in India.
- He pretended to have seen the film.
- If I’d seen the ball I would have caught it.
|
| The continuous infinitive: |
to be + present participle, e.g.to be swimming, to be joking, to be waiting
Examples
- I’d really like to be swimming in a nice cool pool right now.
- You must be joking!
- I happened to be waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
|
| The perfect continuous infinitive: |
to have been + present participle
Examples
- to have been crying
- to have been waiting
- to have been painting
- The woman seemed to have been crying.
- You must have been waiting for hours!
- He pretended to have been painting all day.
|
| The passive infinitive: |
to be + past participle, e.g. to be given, to be shut, to be opened
Examples
- I am expecting to be given a pay-rise next month.
- These doors should be shut.
- This window ought to be opened.
|
These crying
crying
have joking
right day
The shut joking continuous happened
The been present when past infinitive
to been Mahal form expecting hours
like where swimming woman conditional sentences using now
should waiting accident commonly situations infinitive
to India
infinitive opened
Examples
omitted passive broken have Someone seemed infinitive
to passive perfect OTHER have ball waiting seen pool seen there This have must egto Type like participle have ought month
nice were participle climbed
FUNCTION
The most common uses of the infinitive are:
To indicate the purpose or intention of an action (where the ‘to’ has the same meaning as ‘in order to’ or ‘so as to’):
- She’s gone to collect her pay cheque.
- The three bears went into the forest to find firewood.
As the subject of the sentence:
- To be or not to be, that is the question.
- To know her is to love her.
(Note: this is more common in written English than spoken)
With nouns or pronouns, to indicate what something can be used for, or what is to be done with it:
- Would you like something to drink?
- I haven’t anything to wear.
- The children need a garden to play in.
After adjectives in these patterns:
- It is + adjective +to-infinitive
It is good to talk
- It is + adjective + infinitive + for someone + to-infinitive.
It is hard for elephants to see mice
- It is + adjective + infintive + of someone + to-infinitive.
It is unkind of her to say that.
After an adjective + noun when a comment or judgement is being made:
- It was a stupid place to park the car.
- This is the right thing to do.
- It was an astonishing way to behave.
With too and enough in these patterns:
too much/many (+ noun) + to-infinitive
- There’s too much sugar to put in this bowl.
- I had too many books to carry.
too + adjective + to-infinitive
- This soup is too hot to eat.
- She was too tired to work.
too + adverb + to-infinitive
- He arrived too late to see the actors.
enough (+ noun) + to-infinitive
- I’ve had enough (food) to eat.
adjective + enough + to-infinitive
- She’s old enough to make up her own mind.
not enough (+noun) + to-infinitive
- There isn’t enough snow to ski on.
not + adjective + enough + to-infinitive
- You’re not old enough to have grand-children!
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enough arrived Youre havent toinfinitive
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