Infinitive verbs in English
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In this chapter you will learn about the infinitive verbs. What are infinitive verbs and how can you use them in English?
Infinitives are the base forms of verbs with 'to' in front of them. Examples of infinitive verbs:
The negative form of the infinitive verbs is formed by adding 'not' before 'to':
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The table below shows the situations in which the infinitive verbs in English are used.
Situation | Example |
---|---|
The infinitive verb is a subject in a sentence. |
|
To indicate the reason why something happens. |
|
In sentences with the structure it + verb 'to be' + adjective /noun the infinitive verb is used. |
|
After adjectives that express moods, the infinitive verbs are used. |
|
Infinitive verbs are used as an object complement after certain verbs. |
|
The table below shows a list of common infinitive verbs in English and example phrases.
Infinitives | Example |
---|---|
To agree | She did agree to go on a holiday with me in the end. |
To advise | I had to advise people about their insurances. |
To afford | They are not able to afford that car. |
To appear | He manages to appear when something bad is about to happen. |
To ask | Are you afraid to ask her on a date? |
To attempt | You can try to attempt to control him, but it's never going to work. |
To be able to | How can you be able to do something like this? |
To beg | The girl has to beg in the streets of Barcelona. |
To care | He doesn't seem to care about other people. |
To choose | It is sometimes difficult to choose an outfit. |
To claim | We planned to claim you. |
To come | Maria promised to come to my party. |
To consent | He had no choice but to consent to the plan. |
To dare | They only were there to dare him to do it. |
To decide | We have to decide what we are going to eat tonight. |
To demand | I don't like to demand things. |
To deserve | She has to deserve the prize. |
To determine | It is hard to determine whose fault the accident was. |
To elect | America is about to elect a president. |
To expect | What to expect when you are going to Indonesia? |
To fail | Try not to fail your exams this semester. |
To forget | He asked her to forget about her problems. |
To get | We tried to get a bag of crisps, but the supermarket was closed. |
To grow (up) | Some people just don't want to grow up. |
To guarantee | We have to guarantee a great time. |
To have | It is nice to have a big group of friends. |
To help | It is a kind thing to help other people. |
To hesitate | He is always the one to hesitate the most. |
To hope | Sandra has to hope for the best when it comes to graduating this year. |
To hurry | We have to hurry, we are very late. |
To invite | They want to invite him to the party. |
To learn | She has to learn English. |
To manage | I don't know how to manage this. |
To mean | She has to mean it, before I believe it. |
To need | Children are likely to need their parents when growing up. |
To neglect | He was the one to neglect his tasks. |
To offer | He was about to offer a big discount to us. |
To order | We want to order chinese food tonight. |
To pay | You have to pay at the counter. |
To persuade | You have to persuade happiness in life. |
To plan | They have to plan their holiday to Italy. |
To prepare | She was the first one to prepare her suitcases. |
To promise | You have to promise me that you will come home at twelve. |
To prove | I have nothing to prove to you. |
To refuse | She had to refuse the job offer. |
To remain | Nina had to remain at home, because she was sick. |
To remember | It is hard to remember things that happened a long time ago. |
To request | I had to request a special book at the library. |
To resolve | Hopefully they are going to resolve this peacefully. |
To say | We had to say something nice about her. |
To seek | You want to seek happiness. |
To seem | Carla used to seem shy, but she is actually very spontaneous. |
To swear | I had to swear I would not tell anyone his secret. |
To tend | She is likely to tend to talk too much when she is nervous. |
To threaten | The accident seemed to threaten Simone. |
To try | They would like to try fresh salmon today. |
To turn out | This had to turn out the wrong way. |
To venture | They are not likely to venture. |
To volunteer | I went to Africa to volunteer. |
To wait | We had to wait for our food. |
To want | Toby is likely to want adventure. |
To wish | I want to wish you good luck on your exams. |
To yearn | He sat down to yearn over his dad's fate. |
Test your knowledge of the infinitive in English by doing the exercises below.
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I have a Bachelor’s degree in Languages and Literature from the University of Verona (Italy) and a Master’s Degree, cum Laude, in Languages and Media from the University ‘Cattolica’ in Milan (Italy) and Chapman University in Orange, California (USA).
If you are a proper beginner, if you already know a few words but you don’t dare to speak to anyone yet, if you are already very confident with the language but you still want to get to a higher level of proficiency, if you want to know better about one of these cultures, than this is a perfect course for you.
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Hello! My name is Ivana and I come from Serbia.
I am a med student, also I am an active Red Cross volunteer. I worked with both children and adults. If you need some help with reading, listening, writing or speaking in Serbian or English, feel free to contact me. I am looking forward to meeting you. :)
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She is a kind girl , professional and will give you attention and everything you need . Was a great lesson.
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I have struggled learning Spanish in the past, but Catherine has helped me understand and connect with the material. She is creative, professional, and sincerely interested in helping her students with their personal learning goals. And she has been to so many different places! I find that so inspiring. Her experience has given her a great perspective. I look forward to learning from her in the future. Thank you, Catherine!
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Dear all,
Would you like to learn a new language such as Italian, English or Spanish in a smooth, accessible and fun way? Then, it would be a great idea to embark on an exciting journey together!
My big priority is to make sure that my students will learn a new language and get much more familiar with a new culture as fast as possible by doing dynamic and funny activities which suit everyone’s needs and passions. Song lyrics, texts from your favourite books, literature, parts of movies, news, TV series, traditional recipes may be only some of the instruments that we can use in order to make the learning process more efficient and focused on using the new language in different fields.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Languages and Literature from the University of Verona (Italy) and a Master’s Degree, cum Laude, in Languages and Media from the University ‘Cattolica’ in Milan (Italy) and Chapman University in Orange, California (USA).
If you are a proper beginner, if you already know a few words but you don’t dare to speak to anyone yet, if you are already very confident with the language but you still want to get to a higher level of proficiency, if you want to know better about one of these cultures, than this is a perfect course for you.
A nice introductory chat can help both of us to understand which is the starting level and which is the goal of the course in order to tailor a proper class according to your need.
Join the course and you will be immediately immersed in a new culture and in a heartbeat you will speak a new language!
See you soon!
Maddalena
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She's very smart, professional, and pretty. She quickly understood my need as a learner and I had fun talking with her. She creates an atmosphere in class that makes students feel free to speak. Will book again.
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Hello! I am a CELTA-qualified native English teacher offering lessons carefully tailored to your needs. Learn by dynamic conversation exchange, written pieces, songs lyrics, podcasts, and fun and challenging exercises.
I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and have been rock climbing for about 25 years. As an Italian language learner myself, I believe that talking about your passions is one of the most effective ways of mastering a new language. I look forward to hearing about your interests!
I offer a free 15-minute meeting to discuss your personal goals for learning. Let’s work together to bring you closer to those English language goals!
-Parlo italiano-
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she is a professional mother language teacher. She is strongly problem solving oriented. She offers a wide range of tools to learn the language. She has a nice way of teaching.
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