English

Practical English Grammar


the infinitive and infinitive phrase


➲The third type of verbal, in addition to the participle and the gerund,
is the infinitive. An infinitive is composed of the word to plus a verb.
Examples of the infinitive include to remember, to cuddle, to pacify,
and to yodel.
Infinitives can function as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

To succeed is Ted’s goal. (noun—subject of the sentence)
Franklin’s goal was to succeed. (noun—predicate nominative)
Melissa wanted to succeed. (noun—direct object)
Kelly has the drive to succeed. (adjective—Which drive? the drive
to succeed)
Kelly will endeavor to succeed. (adverb—How will Kelly endeavor?
to succeed)

➲ An infinitive phrase is composed of the infinitive, its modifiers (or
describers), and all the other words that are needed to complete the idea
begun by the infinitive.

To stay up later was the child’s wish. (noun—subject)
Lorene desired to be a doctor. (noun—direct object)
My cousin’s goal was to make the New York Yankees. (noun—
predicate nominative)
Henry’s ultimate goal was to make other people happy. (noun—
predicate nominative)
The musical to see is Oklahoma! (adjective—Which musical?
Oklahoma!)
The strong lifeguard swam out to save the struggling swimmer.
(adverb—Why did the lifeguard swim out? to save the struggling
swimmer)

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Notes


Practical English Grammar - Notes
1. Italics Hyphens and Brackets
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2. compound subjects part two
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3. Quotation Marks Part Three
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4. Sound a like words Part Four
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5. the noun
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6. Regular Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs
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7. Confusing usage words part six
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8. complete and simple subjects
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9. the indirect object
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10. Second Capitalization List
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11. the object of the preposition
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12. the adverb
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13. irregular verbs part two
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14. agreement involving prepositional phrases
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15. Confusing usage words part three
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16. More Apostrophe Situations
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17. the adjective phrase
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18. Using Capital Letters
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19. The possessive case
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20. the noun clause
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21. personal pronouns
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22. Confusing usage words part two
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23. Irregular Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs
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24. the prepositional phrase
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25. Confusing usage words part three
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26. The Semicolon
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27. Quotation Marks Part Two
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28. regular verb tenses
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29. introducing phrases
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30. the adjective clause
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31. Confusing usage words part five
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32. Quotation Marks Part One
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33. Parentheses Ellipsis Marks and Dashes
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34. types of sentences by purpose
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35. the adjective
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36. the adverb phrase
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37. the infinitive and infinitive phrase
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38. introducing clauses
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39. Confusing usage words part seven
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40. Confusing usage words part eight
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41. Sound alike words part one
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42. Sound a like words Part Two
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43. The Colon
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44. The verb be
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45. irregular verbs part one
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46. the subordinating conjunction
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47. the interjection
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48. the verb phrase
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49. the pronoun
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50. the noun adjective pronoun question
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