What Is an Infinitive?

They are actually made up of two words: to + a verb. These two words act together as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

(Words that are made of verbs but don't act like verbs are called verbals. There are two other types of verbals: gerunds and participles.)

Examples:

Sometimes, finding infinitives can be tricky because the word to is omitted. That's not very nice is it?

This usually happens when it follows certain verbs like feel, hear, help, let, make, see, and watch.

Here are some examples of infinitives that are missing the word to.

I'll underline the special verbs so that you can see where they are.

Example:

These are made up of an infinitive and the words that modify and complement it.

Their Modifiers and Complements

Remember what these act as? NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, and ADVERBS right? Okay, good.

Let's look at that example phrase from above.

Example:

Again, the whole phrase together is acting as a noun (the direct object of love), but you may have noticed that in lakes is an adverbial prepositional phrase. It is telling us where you like to swim.

Does that means that an adverb (in lakes) is modifying a noun (to swim)?

Yes! Remember how we talked about verb forms acting as a nouns, adjectives, and adverbs? Even though they don't act like verbs, they still have some attributes of verbs.

Even if it is acting as a noun, its "verbness" allows it to take adverbial modifiers just like other verbs. (But it can still take adjectival modifiers just like other nouns.)

They can even take complements (like direct objects), just like verbs can.

Basic Diagramming

Place the word to on an angled line, and write the verb on a horizontal line coming off of the angled line.

With a forked line, connect this to the rest of the sentence wherever it should go. (Infinitives can be nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.) You can test yourself with the exercises on this page.

Example: I love to run.

After that, you can add any complements or modifiers.

Example: I love to run marathons.

Finished the Infinitive Page? Go Back to Phrases.

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