What is an Infinitive?

S2-SA1-0136

Grade Level:

Class 2

NLP, Law, History, Social Sciences, Literature, Journalism, Communication

Definition

What is it?

An infinitive is the basic form of a verb, usually appearing with the word 'to' in front of it. It acts like a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence, but it doesn't show who is doing the action or when it happened.

Simple Example

Quick Example

Imagine you want to buy a new cricket bat. You might say, 'I want to buy a new cricket bat.' Here, 'to buy' is an infinitive. It tells us the action you want to do, but it doesn't change based on who wants to buy or when they want to buy it.

Worked Example

Step-by-Step

Let's find the infinitive in the sentence: 'My mother went to the market to purchase fresh vegetables.'

1. First, look for the word 'to' followed by a verb.
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2. In this sentence, we see 'to purchase'.
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3. 'Purchase' is a verb, meaning 'to buy something'.
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4. So, 'to purchase' is the infinitive here.
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ANSWER: The infinitive is 'to purchase'.

Why It Matters

Understanding infinitives helps you write clear and correct sentences, which is super important in journalism for reporting news or in law for writing legal documents. It also helps in literature to express ideas clearly and beautifully, making your stories more engaging.

Common Mistakes

MISTAKE: Using infinitives as the main verb of a sentence without another helping verb. E.g., 'She to play football.' | CORRECTION: Infinitives need a main verb or helping verb. E.g., 'She likes to play football.' or 'She wants to play football.'

MISTAKE: Confusing 'to' as a preposition with 'to' as part of an infinitive. E.g., 'I went to school.' (thinking 'to school' is an infinitive) | CORRECTION: 'To' is part of an infinitive only when followed by a base verb. 'To school' uses 'to' as a preposition showing direction; 'school' is a noun.

MISTAKE: Adding '-ing' or '-ed' to the verb part of an infinitive. E.g., 'I like to eating mangoes.' | CORRECTION: The verb in an infinitive is always in its base form. E.g., 'I like to eat mangoes.'

Practice Questions

Try It Yourself

QUESTION: Identify the infinitive in the sentence: 'We decided to visit the Taj Mahal next month.' | ANSWER: to visit

QUESTION: Complete the sentence with an infinitive: 'My sister learns ______ new dishes.' | ANSWER: to cook (or to make, to prepare)

QUESTION: Which sentence correctly uses an infinitive? A) 'He wants to going to the fair.' B) 'They are happy to helping others.' C) 'She needs to finish her homework.' D) 'We like to played games.' | ANSWER: C

MCQ

Quick Quiz

Which of these phrases is an infinitive?

to the shop

to run fast

running home

ran away

The Correct Answer Is:

To run fast' has 'to' followed by the base form of the verb 'run', making it an infinitive. 'To the shop' uses 'to' as a preposition. 'Running home' and 'ran away' are other verb forms.

Real World Connection

In the Real World

When you use apps like Swiggy or Zomato to order food, the instructions often use infinitives. For example, 'Tap to view menu' or 'Click to confirm order.' Even in news reports, journalists use infinitives to explain intentions, like 'The government plans to build new roads.'

Key Vocabulary

Key Terms

VERB: An action word or a state of being | BASE FORM: The simplest form of a verb, without any endings like -s, -ed, or -ing | PREPOSITION: A word that shows the relationship between a noun/pronoun and other words in a sentence, often indicating direction or location | NOUN: A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea

What's Next

What to Learn Next

Great job understanding infinitives! Next, you can learn about 'Gerunds and Participles'. They are also verb forms that act like other parts of speech, and knowing them will help you make your sentences even more varied and interesting!