Infiniti in English. Infinitive in English: functions and forms, usage and examples. Functions of the infinitive in a sentence
This article will tell you about the infinitive in English language.
The infinitive is the indefinite form of the verb. This form expresses action, but does not show a person or number. The infinitive answers the questions "what to do?", "what to do?": to run- run/run away to cook- to prepare / prepare. In a sentence, the infinitive can be used with the particle to and without it. In the article "" we talked in detail about these rules.
The infinitive can freely "travel" through the sentence. It usually plays the role of:
- Subject
to walk alone late at night is very dangerous. - Walk alone late at night is very dangerous.
- Parts of the predicate
My decision is to stay here for a couple of days. - My decision - stay here for a couple of days.
- Add-ons
Many people hate to lose. - Many people hate lose.
- Definitions
She was the best to solve this problem. - She's the best decided this task.
- Circumstances
You can break this model. It was made to be tested. – You can break this model. She was made for testing.
Now we will move on to the most interesting part of our article - the forms of the infinitive.
Forms of the infinitive in English
In English, the infinitive has no less than four forms: simple ( simple), long ( continuous), perfect ( perfect), perfect continuous ( perfect continuous). They may actually exist active) and passive voices ( passive).
Let's look at the table in which the verb is presented to ask(ask) in different forms Oh.
| Infinitive | Simple | continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | to ask | to be asking | to have asked | to have been asking |
| passive | to be asked | to be asked | to have been asked | to have been asked |
In Russian there is no such variety of infinitive forms as in English. For this reason, when translating, we will most often use a simple infinitive or a verb in a personal form.
In fairness, it should be said that the continuous and perfect continuous passive infinitives are used extremely rarely in English.
Let's learn more about the forms themselves and their uses:
- Simple Infinitive- simple infinitive
This is the form that we are used to seeing in the dictionary. It is usually used to indicate an action in the present or future tense.
I'm really glad to see you again. - I am very happy see you again.
This work should be done immediately. - This work should do immediately.
- Continuous Infinitive- long infinitive
A long infinitive indicates a continuous action. This infinitive, like the simple one, denotes an action in the present or future tense.
He must be still reading a magazine. - He's probably still is reading magazine.
Please note that according to the classical rules between the particle to and other words are not put in the infinitive. But in modern colloquial language, an adverb may appear between them. This construction of the sentence is not considered a mistake, but in formal English it is better to avoid splitting the infinitive.
- Perfect Infinitive- perfect infinitive
The perfect infinitive names an action that happened before the moment of speech specified in the sentence or before another action.
I'm sorry to have told him this secret. - I'm sorry that I told him this secret.
There is a drawing on the table. This sketch must have been made by George. - There is a drawing on the table. This sketch must be was made George.
- Perfect Continuous Infinitive- perfect continuous infinitive
This infinitive shows an action that lasts until a certain moment or another action in the present.
He is dissatisfied to have been living here for five years. He is very unhappy with lives here for five years.
In conclusion, we suggest you watch a video in which the teacher Alex talks about the features of infinitives in the active and passive voices. And don't forget to take a little quiz that will help you remember the forms of the infinitive better.
Test
Infinitive in English: forms and their use
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In English infinitive(Infinitive) - this is, which denotes an action, but does not indicate a person and a number. In Russian, the English infinitive corresponds to the indefinite form of the verb, which answers the questions “what to do? what to do?": to live - to live.
The formal sign of the infinitive is the particle to:
to write- write, to read- read, to drink- drink, to think- think.
If the verb is preceded by a particle to, then in front of you is the infinitive (or the indefinite form of the verb). Sometimes the infinitive can be used without a particle to.
The negative form is formed by a particle not, which is placed before the infinitive: not to use - do not use.
It is difficult to use
.- Difficult use.
It is difficult not to use
.- Difficult do not use.
Infinitive forms
In English, the infinitive has 6 forms (unlike Russian, which has only one form). To understand well the meanings of the forms of the infinitive, it is necessary to have an idea of \u200b\u200band the verb.
Simple infinitive. Indefinite Infinitive
infinitive in the form Indefinite (Simple) or simple infinitive is the basic form and represents the verb in the dictionary (for convenience, in the dictionary the particle to often omitted). This form of the infinitive belongs to the same tense as the verb that precedes it.
I was happy to see her. — I was glad to see her (simple active infinitive).
The child didn't like to be washed. - The child did not like being washed (a simple infinitive in the passive voice).
Compare the use of the simple infinitive in active and passive voice: to help - to be helped
I am happy to help you. - I am glad to help. (I'm glad I'm helping).
I am happy to be helped. - I'm glad they're helping me.
Perfect infinitive. Perfect Infinitive
infinitive in the form Perfect or perfect infinitive denotes an action that precedes the action of the verb-predicate.
I was very happy to have met you. — I am very glad that I met you (active perfect infinitive).
Sorry not to have noticed you. — I'm sorry I didn't notice you (active perfect infinitive).
The child was happy to have been brought to the circle. The child was happy to be taken to the circus (passive perfect infinitive).
Compare the use of a simple (Simple Infinitive) and a perfect (Perfect Infinitive) infinitive in the active voice: to see - to have seen
I am happy to see you. - Glad to see you. (Glad to see you.)
I am happy to have seen you. - I'm glad I saw you.
Long infinitive. Continuous Infinitive
infinitive in the form continuous or long infinitive emphasizes the duration of the action that occurs simultaneously with the action of the verb-predicate. This form is used only in the active voice.
He seems to be writing something. - He seems to be writing something now (long infinitive in the active voice).
Perfectly continuous infinitive. Perfect Continuous Infinitive
infinitive in the form Perfect Continuous or perfect continuous infinitive emphasizes that the action began earlier than the action of the verb-predicate, lasted for some period of time and is still going on. This form is also not used in the passive voice.
He seemed to have been writing all day. He seemed to have been writing all day.
Forms of the infinitive in the table
| The meaning of different forms of the infinitive in the table | ||
| Infinitive forms | What am I happy about? | |
| Simple | I am happy to speak to you. | Glad to talk to you. (I always rejoice when I talk to you). |
| continuous | I am happy to be speaking to you. | I'm glad I'm talking to you now. |
| Perfect | I am happy to have spoken to you. | I'm glad I talked to you. |
| Perfect Continuous | I am happy to have been speaking to you. | I am glad that I have been talking to you for a long time (all this time). |
| simple passive | I am (always) glad to be told the news. | I'm always glad when they tell me the news. |
| Perfect Passive | I am happy to have been told the news. | I'm glad I got the news. |
The use of the infinitive without the particle to
Most often, the infinitive in English is used with the particle to, but there are cases when the particle to not used before the infinitive.
The infinitive is used without particle to in the following cases:
- After can, could, must, may, might, will, shall, should, would and need (in the value of modal). Exceptions are modal verbs have to, ought to, be to.
- AT complex addition after verbs of sense perception feel(feel), hear(hear), see(see), watch(observe), notice(notice):
I saw him leave the office. — I saw him leave the office.
But: if the listed verbs feel, see, hear, watch, notice are used in the passive voice, then the infinitive is preceded by a particle to:
I heard him go down the stairs. — I heard him come down the stairs.He was seen to leave the office. We saw him leave the office.
- In complex addition after verbs make(meaning "force, compel") and let(meaning "permit, allow"). Again, if these verbs are in the passive voice, then the infinitive is used with the particle to.
I can't make you take this medicine. “I can't force you to take this medicine.
We let her go to the party. We let her go to the party.
She was made to rewrite the test. - She was forced to rewrite the test (was made is a passive verb). - After the verb help(to help) the infinitive can also be used with the particle to, and without it. Both options are acceptable, while the option without to less formal.
The topic of using the infinitive is quite complex and voluminous and requires special attention, if only because the cases of its use do not always coincide with the cases of using the indefinite form of the verb in Russian. To study this topic is simply necessary for those who want to speak English at a high level. So, the forms of the infinitive and the cases of its use.
Topic: Impersonal forms of the verb. Infinitive. Gerund. Communions.Infinitive/-ing form/Pariciple
Lesson: Infinitive. Infinitive. Forms of the infinitive and its functions in a sentence
Infinitive is the form of the verb, which in English consists of the particle to and the verb.
Example: to do, to have, to see
The infinitive (indefinite form of the verb) in Russian and English have similar properties, but English infinitive There are a number of features that somewhat complicate its development by a Russian-speaking person.
The infinitive has the properties of a verb:
1. p. 158, ex. 1, 2, Kaufman K.I., Kaufman M.Yu. English language ( a basic level of). - Title, 2010.
2. Put the verbs in the appropriate infinitive forms.
1. My boss expects me (to work) overtime.
2. The suspect claimed (to watch) TV at the time of the robbery.
3. Jill's teacher is worried about her as she seems (to have) difficulty coping with her studies.
4. ‘I happen (to pass) my driving test two years ago, you know,’ he said.
5. Robert is expecting (to inherit) a large house when his grandfather dies.
6. Leslie seems (to enjoy) her new job.
7. I'd like (to book) a return ticket to Denver, please.
8. The manager seems (to get) impatient with the interviewee.
3. * ex. 375, 376. Golitsynsky Yu.B., Grammar. Collection of exercises. - Karo, 2011.
The English language is very economical and strives to express thoughts in the smallest possible way. This is manifested not only in vocabulary, where one short word has many very different values but also in grammar.
You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
You are born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win and hope to win.
In Russian, to explain the reason or purpose of performing an action, you need to use a subordinate clause with conjunctions, in English it is enough to use only infinitive or infinitive construction.
, but it is constructed in a completely different way.
How to say why in English?
Let's look at an example of how the English can communicate intentions or express purpose to answer a seemingly simple question:
Why are you going to the store? (Eng. Why are you going to the shop?).
Undoubtedly, which of the proposed options, the Briton will choose first construction with infinitive purpose, since it is both easier to pronounce and more clearly explains his actions.
And now let's dwell on the constructions with the infinitive in English in more detail.
Infinitive of purpose in English (Infinitive of purpose)
The slide shows 8 reasons why people learn English. More than half of the reasons (desired goals) are presented as the goal infinitive.
In English, to explain the reason or purpose for doing something, use infinitive with particle to after the verbs come, go, visit, buy and many others.
In English, this grammatical phenomenon is called Infinitive of purpose.
The goal infinitive conveys the intention to obtain a result., which is not necessarily positive. After all, the lack of results is also a result!
Usage particles to in this infinitive construction is obligatory! Do not forget that the infinitive of the goal, like any other infinitive, cannot have a person and a number.
Features of the translation of the English infinitive of the goal into Russian
Sentences with an infinitive of purpose (eng. Infinitive of purpose) are translated into Russian by a complex sentence and conjunctions " in order to do something".
This type of sentences in both Russian and English answers the question: why? for what? for what purpose?, but it is constructed in a completely different way.
Compare the ways of expressing the goal in Russian and English:
How to translate sentences with the infinitive of purpose into English
Very often students, trying to express the purpose, translate Russian sentence into English using union for. And it is no coincidence.
The point is that when translating to into English, dictionaries often issue for, that, than, so, in order to.
And if the latter is still possible to use to convey the goal, then the use of all the others instead of particles to in sentences to express the goal - an error:
Sometimes we can replace the target infinitive with English noun. In this case, feel free to use preposition for, For example:
Place of the goal infinitive in a sentence
Infinitive of purpose(Eng. Infinitive of purpose) can take place in the middle of a sentence and follow the main verb or take place at the beginning of a sentence.
If the infinitive of the goal is at the beginning of the sentence, it should be separated by a comma:
Infinitive of purpose with conjunctions in order to/ so as to
"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." coco chanel
AT famous phrase"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." (Russian. To be irreplaceable, you must always be different) Coco Chanel just uses union in order to with infinitive to be .
Moreover, in order to increase the significance of the goal, she puts structure with the infinitive of purpose in the first place, and thereby emphasizes why one should be diverse?
One cannot but agree that this original device stands out from the boring structured order of sentences, and only with the help of an unusual presentation of the infinitive of the goal makes the phrase memorable.
Thus, in sentences, we can use conjunctions in order to (form.) or so as to in combination with an infinitive to explain the purpose:
When should we use in order to and so as to with the goal infinitive?
Even though the union in order to considered more formal and rarely used in colloquial speech, it is perfectly suitable for business style communication and correspondence.
Unlike him union so as to used in everyday conversations, as it is less formal:
The use of the infinitive with conjunctions in order to/ so as to
Conjunctions in order to and so as to are usually used with state verbs, such as be, know, have and others.
Sounds more natural English phrase I watched him in order to know more about him compared to offer I watched him to know more about him(rus. I watched him to learn more about him)
We usually also use in order and so as with the negative infinitive to pass the meaning "not to":
Finally:
We hope that today's article about goal infinitive was useful to you, and you can easily explain your intentions in English, following all the prompts and rules of use.
In fact, there are many more ways to convey the goal in English than we have described in this article. This is a construction with a complex addition for somebody to and a passive construction I want something to be done, and many other conjunctions in combination with the infinitive, but we will talk about them next time.
Exercises for the infinitive of purpose
And now we invite you to test your knowledge of the infinitive of purpose in English by completing the “Infinitive of purpose” test.
Complete the sentences by using to or for.
I went to Chicago (for/to) a visit.
I went to Chicago (for/to) visit my aunt and uncle.
I take long walks (for/to) relax.
I take long walks (for/to) relaxation.
I'm going to school (for/to) a good education.
I'm going to school (for/to) get a good education.
I'm not going to school just (for/to) have fun.
I'm not going to school just (for/to) fun.
I turned on the radio (for/to) listen to the news.
I listened to the radio (for/to) news about the earthquake in Peru.
I sent a card to Carol (for/to) wish her a happy birthday.
Two police officers came to my apartment (for/to) ask me about my cousin.
Mr. Wong works in his garden (for/to) the pure pleasure of it.
I looked in the encyclopedia (for/to) information about Ecuador.
My three brothers, two sisters, and parents all came to town (for/to) attend my graduation.
In contact with
From English the word ‘ infinitive' translates as "indefinite". In fact, the very concept of the infinitive is fixed in the language as an impersonal form of the verb, which is devoid of any tense, person, number and mood:
In Russian, the indefinite form is also represented:
Tell him to SPEAK louder - you can't hear anything.
Tell him TO SPEAK louder, I can hear nothing.
It should be noted that in English, unlike Russian, we meet six forms of the infinitive - simple, objective, infinitive turns and complex forms of the infinitive. In this article we will talk about a simple infinitive, consider its functions in a sentence, features of use and translation.
Simple infinitive in English
Let's see how the use of infinitive forms in English helps to implement grammatical relationships in a sentence.
The infinitive answers the question “What (c) to do?”, However, it will never be used as an independent predicate. hallmark the infinitive is the presence of a particle to and the complete absence of endings:
Infinitive vs. verb (verb)
He likes to travel abroad. - He travels abroad.
He loves to travel abroad. - He travels abroad.
In some cases, a particle to may be missing. For example, paired with a modal verb in English, you should use the infinitive ( initial form) without a particle to:
Can you feel the love tonight? - Can you feel the touch of love tonight, - sings Elton John in the soundtrack to the cartoon "The Lion King".
The simple form of the infinitive is dictionary and is used much more often than complex forms. They are addressed to avoid the duality of meaning, in order to avoid distortion of the intention.
Using the English infinitive in a sentence
Speaking of a verb group, it can express part of a compound predicate, be determined by an adverb and have a direct object. As a representative of a noun group, the infinitive is often used as a subject, object, and even a definition.
Verb functions
Noun functions
In formal speech, it usually appears at the beginning of a sentence, while in more informal communication, introductory constructions like ‘ it is well-known’, ‘it is difficult' other:
To talk like that was very rude of you. It was very rude of you to speak in that tone.
It was very rude of you to talk like that. It was rude to speak in that tone.
Very often the infinitive can be found after the transitive verb. In this case, it expresses the addition in the sentence and is translated into Russian through the initial form:
My husband decided to take us to Paris on holiday. - My husband decided to take us to Paris on vacation.
We offer you a list of verbs, after which the infinitive can act as an object.
As a direct object, the simple infinitive can also be used with question words ( how, when, what, etc.) and after constructions with verb forms to be:
I'm glad to meet you. - Glad to meet you.
Don't look at me. I don't know what to do. - Do not look at me. I do not know what to do.
In the role of a definition, a simple infinitive answers the question “what?” and stands after the defined word in English:
I need a new house to live in. - I need new house in which I can live (to live there).
We cannot put the infinitive after the verb. This will no longer be a definition, but an addition and the sentence will lose its meaning:
Word order is very important here, otherwise you can often get nonsense and you will not be understood.
Very often, as a definition, a simple infinitive comes after pronouns. something, somebody, anything, anybody, nothing, nobody or after ordinal numbers:
I have nothing to wear. - I have nothing to wear.
In conclusion, we want to add that we have only told you about the simple infinitive. In our future publications, we will definitely return to this phenomenon of English grammar.
We wish you success in your studies and interesting practice!
Victoria Tetkina
