Infinitives

An infinitive is one of three types of verbals. It’s the “to” form of a verb, and it can act as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.

  • To wait seemed foolish when it was already so late.

(infinitive acting as a noun—in this case, the subject of the sentence)

  • All of them wanted to go.

(infinitive acting as a noun—in this case, the direct object of the verb)

  • Her ambition is to teach.

(infinitive acting as a noun—in this case, the subject complement)

  • These are rules to remember.

(infinitive acting as an adjective to define the noun “rules”)

  • She went to work.

(infinitive acting as an adverb to define the verb “went”)

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