Familiarity with the infinitive in English

The infinitive in English is a noun made from the root of the verb plus ing. Do not forget, however, that you should not confuse it with the continuum of the verb.

 For example, in the following sentence, Running is an infinitive that acts just like a noun.

Running is fun.

If you pay attention to the definition of the gerund name in English given above, you will notice that a definite adjective is used as a noun. For this reason, it can be used in a sentence as a subject and object. However, this type of noun does not have a plural form.

Traveling is a good way to expand your worldview.

My doctor suggests running to improve my health.

In both of the above sentences, words ending in ing act as nouns. Traveling is the subject of the first sentence. In the second sentence, however, Running acts as the object of the verb Suggests.

Since it has been observed in most cases that language learners have problems in the first encounters with the infinitive in English, this note examines it with an example.

 

The role of the infinitive in the sentence

The infinitive in English can appear alone in a sentence or be combined with other words to form a predicate. In general, this phrase behaves like a single noun. To better understand this issue, pay attention to the following two sentences:

Running is a favorite activity of mine.

Running with scissors is a favorite activity of mine.

In the above two sentences, they act as a subject in both cases, and the third person singular verb is used with them. You can use a non-adjective such as “Chess” to confirm the correctness of your sentence. For this purpose, it is enough to replace it with the infinitive in the sentence.

Chess is a favorite activity of mine.

Just as a noun may appear in the passive, the infinitive in English can do the same. For example, Running, which is used as a subject in the above sentences, is used as the object of the verb enjoy in the following sentence. To confirm this, it is enough to use a common name like the second sentence.

Tim enjoys running .

Tim enjoys racquetball .

Infinitive and some special verbs

As mentioned, the infinitive noun in English is made with the help of the root of the verb, but its function is like a noun. However, you must remember that they are not nouns. Names in English are used to name places, events, people and the like. However, the noun masdar in English describes activities, behaviors, and situations.

One of the most common verbs used for infinitive in English is to be verbs. This is the easiest way to provide a source name. For example, look at the following sentences at different times:

Her big fear is driving on the main roads.

My goal for the year was finding a new job.

In some cases, after the main verb of the sentence, the noun must be used in English . This depends on the main verb of the sentence and there is no specific law or rule about it. The verbs advise, avoid, enjoy, finish, practice, quit and suggest are the most common verbs you can remember.

Consider the following examples:

My teacher advised studying for the quiz.

They enjoy making crafts in class

 

 

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How to use the infinitive in English with prepositions and phrasal verbs

As you know, prepositions are words like “at”, “on” and “in” that are used to link nouns and noun phrases in a sentence. These letters usually come before nouns.

When using any verb after a preposition, you should always use it as an infinitive in English . In fact, you are not allowed to use any other form of it, such as the combination of the verb plus to. To better understand this issue, pay attention to the following sentences:

They are planning on arriving at midday.

.He’s not very good at speaking in public

Communication verbs in English are verbs that are made up of a combination of verbs and prepositions or adverbs. In most cases, these verbs have different meanings than the verb. In fact, they are considered as a new verb that you can not guess the meaning of its composition.

For example, the phrase call on means meeting, which has nothing to do with its components.

We go past my sister’s house on the way home so let’s call on her.

Like prepositions after communicative verbs, we must use the infinitive in English. Pay attention to the following sentences:

Those children will grow up behaving very badly.

We have had to put off going on our holiday this year.

 

The importance of infinitive in English

Although it is easy for English-speakers to use infinitives, language learners often have difficulty with these nouns and how to use them, especially when writing a note. However, after a little practice, you can easily use them to create fluent sentences both in speech and in writing.

One of the biggest problems when writing is the use of more than one name (common names, not infinitives in English ). Consider the following example:

Discuss the will We Reprimand of John for being in violation of the regulations .

The author has used too many nouns in this sentence, which makes the sentence look artificial. Learners typically prefer to use names and prepositions to display the text seamlessly. However, excessive use of nouns in most cases makes the text dull and difficult to read. Readers often welcome soft and fluent sentences.

To produce clear and fluent sentences, you should use the infinitive in English . To better understand this issue, we have rewritten the above sentence:

Will Discuss We reprimanding John for Violating the regulations.

The second sentence is shorter than the first sentence. In the second sentence, we have rewritten the first sentence, which consists of 14 words, with the help of only 9 words. Shortening the sentence saves time and attracts the audience. In addition, it has become easier and smoother to read with the help of the two identified nouns.

For more practice, select the following 3 sentences in which the infinitive is used:

Running the tap will clear the air pocket.

Can you fix the running tap?

The tap was running for an hour.