Are Infinitives Really Verbs?
2021-02-12
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1On many Everyday Grammar programs, we have talked about a verb form called an infinitive.
2By now in your English learning journey, you have heard and used infinitives hundreds of times.
3For example, if someone says to you, "It is great to see you," they are using the infinitive "to see."
4If you say, "I love to learn English," you are using the infinitive "to learn."
5Infinitives usually begin with the word "to" and are followed by a verb in its base form.
6An easy way to find an infinitive in a sentence is to look for the structure to + base verb.
7But, be careful! Not every phrase that begins with "to" is an infinitive.
8In fact, we use the word "to" in prepositional phrases, as in the sentence, "We went to the store."
9Although we sometimes call them "infinitive verbs," these word forms do not act as verbs at all.
10Instead, they can act like nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
11On today's program, we will talk about how infinitives act as different parts of speech.
12Let's begin by talking about adjectives.
13Just like a single-word adjective, when an infinitive acts as an adjective, it gives more information about a noun.
14In the following example, there are two nouns. Listen for the infinitive and think about which noun it is describing:
15I sometimes buy magazines to read.
16Which noun do you think the infinitive "to read" describes?
17The answer is "magazine."
18When infinitives act as adjectives, we call them adjectival infinitives.
19Adjectival infinitives can also be longer phrases than just to + base verb. Listen to this example:
20The only way to get that screw out is with a power tool.
21In this case, the adjectival infinitive is "to get that screw out" and it describes the noun "way."
22Now, let's find out how an infinitive can act as an adverb.
23Infinitives are sometimes used to express a purpose.
24When they are, they carry the meaning of "for the purpose of" or "for the reason of."
25In other words, they tell us why someone does something.
26Just like single-word adverbs, adverbial infinitives always describe verbs.
27Listen to this next example and try to identify the purpose the speaker gives for his action:
28I watch Learning English videos to improve my listening skills.
29Here, the infinitive is "to improve" but it is part of a longer phrase that acts as the adverb.
30So the full adverbial infinitive is: "to improve my listening skills."
31It tells us the reason the speaker watches Learning English videos.
32Adverbial infinitives can also appear in other parts of a sentence, such as at the beginning.
33For instance, a speaker could say this:
34To improve my listening skills, I watch Learning English videos.
35And finally, we move to infinitives as nouns. We call them nominal infinitives.
36When infinitives act as nouns, they can have several functions in a sentence.
37We will focus on them as direct objects and subjects.
38Nominal infinitives are generally part of longer phrases that, together, make a noun phrase.
39Listen to this example and then I will tell you more:
40I want to be a millionaire!
41In this case, the nominal infinitive is part of a noun phrase that acts as the direct object.
42That phrase is "to be a millionaire."
43Nominal infinitives can also act as subjects.
44But this sentence structure is neither common in everyday speaking nor in formal speech or writing.
45Generally, you will find it in creative writing and literature.
46Listen to an example:
47To write music was his passion.
48Here, the noun phrase "to write music" (which includes the infinitive "to write") is the subject of the sentence.
49Alright, we have covered a lot. Now we just have one more thing to quickly touch on: bare infinitives.
50Bare infinitives do not have the word "to" in front of them.
51Often, you will see them used with modal verbs.
52For instance, in the sentence, "You must follow social distancing rules," the bare infinitive "follow" comes after the modal verb "must."
53Well, that's our program for today.
54Listen or watch for infinitive verbs wherever English is used.
55And, for fun, you can ask yourself if the word is being used as a noun, adverb or adjective, or if it is a bare infinitive.
56I'm Alice Bryant.
1On many Everyday Grammar programs, we have talked about a verb form called an infinitive. 2By now in your English learning journey, you have heard and used infinitives hundreds of times. For example, if someone says to you, "It is great to see you," they are using the infinitive "to see." If you say, "I love to learn English," you are using the infinitive "to learn." 3Infinitives usually begin with the word "to" and are followed by a verb in its base form. An easy way to find an infinitive in a sentence is to look for the structure to + base verb. But, be careful! Not every phrase that begins with "to" is an infinitive. In fact, we use the word "to" in prepositional phrases, as in the sentence, "We went to the store." 4Although we sometimes call them "infinitive verbs," these word forms do not act as verbs at all. Instead, they can act like nouns, adjectives or adverbs. On today's program, we will talk about how infinitives act as different parts of speech. 5As adjectives 6Let's begin by talking about adjectives. 7Just like a single-word adjective, when an infinitive acts as an adjective, it gives more information about a noun. In the following example, there are two nouns. Listen for the infinitive and think about which noun it is describing: 8I sometimes buy magazines to read. 9Which noun do you think the infinitive "to read" describes? 10The answer is "magazine." 11When infinitives act as adjectives, we call them adjectival infinitives. 12Adjectival infinitives can also be longer phrases than just to + base verb. Listen to this example: 13The only way to get that screw out is with a power tool. 14In this case, the adjectival infinitive is "to get that screw out" and it describes the noun "way." 15As adverbs 16Now, let's find out how an infinitive can act as an adverb. 17Infinitives are sometimes used to express a purpose. When they are, they carry the meaning of "for the purpose of" or "for the reason of." In other words, they tell us why someone does something. 18Just like single-word adverbs, adverbial infinitives always describe verbs. Listen to this next example and try to identify the purpose the speaker gives for his action: 19I watch Learning English videos to improve my listening skills. 20Here, the infinitive is "to improve" but it is part of a longer phrase that acts as the adverb. So the full adverbial infinitive is: "to improve my listening skills." It tells us the reason the speaker watches Learning English videos. 21Adverbial infinitives can also appear in other parts of a sentence, such as at the beginning. For instance, a speaker could say this: 22To improve my listening skills, I watch Learning English videos. 23As nouns: 24And finally, we move to infinitives as nouns. We call them nominal infinitives. 25When infinitives act as nouns, they can have several functions in a sentence. We will focus on them as direct objects and subjects. Nominal infinitives are generally part of longer phrases that, together, make a noun phrase. 26Listen to this example and then I will tell you more: 27I want to be a millionaire! 28In this case, the nominal infinitive is part of a noun phrase that acts as the direct object. That phrase is "to be a millionaire." 29Nominal infinitives can also act as subjects. But this sentence structure is neither common in everyday speaking nor in formal speech or writing. Generally, you will find it in creative writing and literature. 30Listen to an example: 31To write music was his passion. 32Here, the noun phrase "to write music" (which includes the infinitive "to write") is the subject of the sentence. 33Bare infinitives 34Alright, we have covered a lot. Now we just have one more thing to quickly touch on: bare infinitives. 35Bare infinitives do not have the word "to" in front of them. Often, you will see them used with modal verbs. For instance, in the sentence, "You must follow social distancing rules," the bare infinitive "follow" comes after the modal verb "must." 36Well, that's our program for today. Listen or watch for infinitive verbs wherever English is used. And, for fun, you can ask yourself if the word is being used as a noun, adverb or adjective, or if it is a bare infinitive. 37I'm Alice Bryant. 38Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 39________________________________________________________________ 40Words in This Story 41journey -n. traveling from one place to another; a trip 42phrase -n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but are not a complete sentence 43focus -v. to cause you attention to be directed at something 44screw -n. a small, pointed metal device used to hold two materials, such as wood or metal, together 45formal -adj. used in serious or official speech and writing 46literature -n. written works such as plays, poems, and books 47modal -adj. a verb usually used with another verb to express an idea of possibility, necessity or permission