Unit4

Unit 4

Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

The infinitive form (to + the base form of a verb) is widely used in English. It may be the subject or object of a sentence, follow certain adjectives or adverbs, or provide a purpose for an action. Infinitives and infinitive phrases can be used in the following ways:

1. As the subject of a sentence. This is a fairly formal structure. To miss a Wildcats home game was unimaginable. To be an actress is my dream.

Using an infinitive as the subject of a sentence appears most commonly in poetry, prose, or proverbs. To be or not to be, that is the question. (Shakespeare, Hamlet) To err is human; to forgive, divine. (Alexander Pope, "An Essay on Criticism")

Note: It + be + an infinitive phrase is a more informal and common way to make the infinitive the subject of a sentence.

It is good for us to visit each other often. It's dangerous for children to drive cars.

opy sale le 2. As the object of a verb C e ib Gregor forgot to return the video. k R c That's why he had to pay a late fee. es or du Some verbs must be followed by an infinitive. While there are no rules to tell which verbs are followed by D F ro infinitives, there are ways to group those verbs to help recognize them, such as: t p Verbs that express feelings and longing: care, hope, like, need, prefer, wait/can't wait, want, wish, o e would like N R Tim is so vain. He couldn't wait to look at himself in the mirror. t Sometimes Tara would like to strangle her boss. No Nilhaia prefers to eat before she arrives at her mother-in-law's house.

Verbs that show thought, skill, or appearance: appear, decide, expect, forget, hesitate, learn, manage, plan, prepare, seem Sayed expected to get an A, but he botched the final and ended up with a B. Lauren can manage to do three things at the same time. Christopher seems to feel better about breaking up with Kathy. Yesterday Maria appeared to be ill.

Verbs that are used to negotiate with others: agree, arrange, ask, beg, claim, consent, demand, mean (intend), offer, pretend, promise, refuse, swear, threaten, volunteer Pedro offered to drive Christy to the party, but she politely refused to go with him. Gabriela will ask to speak to a manager about the problem. The IRS is threatening to audit my tax return. Bumjin meant to say something else.

Verbs that take a noun or pronoun before the infinitive: advise, cause, convince, encourage, expect, forbid, force, invite, permit, persuade, require, tell, urge, warn Paulette has been urging her mother to see a doctor for weeks. The college requires students to pay for their classes before they begin.

56 Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

3. Some adjectives that describe people and feelings about an action are followed by the infinitive: afraid, glad, happy, important, proud, sorry, willing. They were glad to help their parents move into a city apartment. She was proud to receive top academic honors. The adjective too is often used before an infinitive, giving it a negative connotation. The box is too heavy for me to lift. Tom drives too fast for me to feel comfortable. Changing too to enough after the adjective or adverb gives it a positive connotation. The box is light enough for me to carry. Tom drives slowly enough for me to feel comfortable.

4. An indication of the purpose or reason for an action. Statements of purpose are similar to statements that give reasons, but they are not exactly the same. A reason is something that pushes, or causes something to happen. A purpose is something that pulls, or leads an action. I came to the United States because my husband's job relocated him to New York. (pushed by the job to relocate) I came to the United States in order to learn English better. (pulled by the goal of learning English better) There are two common forms that express a statement of purpose:

in order + infinitive infinitive

I drove to Michigan in order to see my daughter. I drove to Michigan to see my daughter.

Forming the Infinitive

py le To form the infinitive, use to + base form of the verb. o sa le to see, to laugh C e ib to walk, to shop DNeNosotktFRoer pRroduc to study, to drive

57 Creative Grammar

Split Infinitives

A split infinitive occurs when a word or group of words (usually an adverb or adverbial phrase) is placed between to and the verb.

to truly see

to openly laugh

to quietly study

Since the 13th century, those who follow strict grammar rules say that English infinitives should never be split. However, most American English speakers split infinitives often, particularly in informal conversations and popular culture situations. One of the most famous split infinitives in modern America is the opening line to Star Trek: "... to boldly go where no man has gone before."

A good compromise between strict grammar rules and native speaker habits is to avoid the split infinitive when you can do so without making the sentence sound unnatural. You need to pay more attention to avoiding split infinitives in formal writing than anywhere else.

4-1 Split Infinitives

Read each sentence below. While they may be acceptable in oral English, they can be considered errors when written in more formal contexts. Rewrite each sentence below so that the infinitive is not split, and the sentence is otherwise grammatically correct.

1. I began to slowly walk down the pier. _S_l_o_w_l_y_, _I_b_e_g_a_n__t_o_w__a_lk__d_o_w_n__t_h_e_p_i_e_r_. _____________________________________________________________________________

2. The children wanted to excitedly scream for the ice cream truck to stop.

opy sale le _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ C e ib 3. When actors are confused, we try to quickly whisper their lines to them. sk r R uc _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ De Fo rod 4. Tasha needs to carefully speak English on the telephone so she can be understood. ot ep _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ N t R 5. You love to really sing loud in the shower. No _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. The dog seems to always menacingly growl at strangers. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

58 Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

 4-2 Sentence Writing

Create two sentences for each set of directions. Use an appropriate tense and infinitives. Work in pairs, in groups, or by yourself. Make sure that your sentence includes enough context so that both the meaning and the situation of the sentence are clear. A. Use a modal for a good idea. For example, should + plan + see

Example: We should plan to see the new Harry Potter movie as soon as it opens. 1. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ B. Use a modal to indicate possibility. For example, might + offer + go Example: Eugene has a lot of errands, but he might offer to go to the airport to pick up Aunt Gilda anyway. 3. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ C. Use a modal that draws a logical conclusion. For example, must + hate + visit Example: Look at that woman's expression! She must hate to visit people in hospitals.

py le 5. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Co esa ible 6. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ sk r R uc D. Use a modal for expectation. For example, should + want + read De Fo rod Example: I know that the girls love to read suspense, so they should want to read these Agatha Christie

mysteries.

Not Rep 7. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Not 8. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

E. Use a modal of necessity. For example, must + decide + be Example: Alfred, you have been a naughty boy. You must decide to be good for the rest of the day. 9. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

59 Creative Grammar

 4-3 Description of the Illustration

Look at the illustration. Use it to complete the activities.

A. Write a paragraph to describe what is going on in the illustration. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

py le _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Co esa ible _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ esk or R duc _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ D ot F epro _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NNot R _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ B. Music is an important part of life. Analyze your own tastes in music. What kind do you like best? How often do you listen to music? Do you listen in the car? Do you listen while you are walking and wearing headphones? How much do you listen at home? How broad is your musical taste? For example, do you like hip-hop and classical music? What about jazz? Rock? American country music? Do you like music from other countries? In your notebook use your answers to write a paragraph about the types of music that you listen to.

60 Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

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