Grammar Tips & Articles »

infinitive phrase

This Grammar.com article is about infinitive phrase — enjoy your reading!


1:10 min read
10,734 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

Every verb has a base infinitive form. We think of the infinitive as the verb with the preposition to in front of it, as in to have, to hold, to love, to honor, to cherish. Infinitive phrases can act as (1) nouns, (2) adjectives, or (3) adverbs. The most prevalent use is probably the adverbial use. If the verb in the infinitive phrase is transitive, it can have a noun or pronoun attached to it as the verbal object. Also, within the infinitive phrase, you might find all sorts of modifiers. Adverbs can modify the infinitive itself; adjectives can modify any nouns present. Study these examples of each use:

He wanted to win the game. (infinitive phrase used as a noun, the object of the transitive verb want)

She's got a ticket to ride. (infinitive phrase used as an adjective modifying the noun ticket)

To win the tournament, Tiger Woods changed his swing. (infinitive phrase used as an adverb modifying the verb changed)

Controversy rages over whether you may split an infinitive by putting other words between the to and the infinitive verb. The short answer is yes. The so-called rule against split infinitives is simply not a rule. For a thorough discussion and a press release by the Oxford English Dictionary, study the section on Verbs in Parts of Speech on Grammar.com. Click here for the beginning of that discussion.

See present-participial phrase and past-participial phrase.

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

1 Comment
  • Reza Hamedani
    Reza Hamedani
    what's the difference btw the 1st example and the 3rd? apparently both are modifying the verb.
    LikeReply8 years ago
    • Summer Clegg-Wilmer
      Summer Clegg-Wilmer
      One comes before the verb and the other after. The first one is acting a direct object following an action verb.
      LikeReply6 years ago

Citation

Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"infinitive phrase." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Dec. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/infinitive-phrase>.

Free, no signup required:

Add to Chrome

Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

Free, no signup required:

Add to Firefox

Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

Free Writing Tool:

Instant
Grammar Checker

Improve your grammar, vocabulary, style, and writing — all for FREE!


Quiz

Are you a grammar master?

»
Identify the sentence with a correct preposition:
A She is interested in science.
B They are fond in music.
C He is allergic of cats.
D She is afraid from spiders.

Improve your writing now:

Download Grammar eBooks

It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.