Level: beginner
Verbs with to-infinitives
We use the to-infinitive after certain verbs (verbs followed by to-infinitive), particularly verbs of thinking and feeling:
| choose decide expect forget |
hate hope intend learn |
like love mean plan |
prefer remember want would like/love |
They decided to start a business together.
Remember to turn the lights off.
and verbs of saying:
| agree | promise | refuse | threaten |
We agreed to meet at the cinema.
Promise to call me every day.
Some verbs are followed by a direct object and then the to-infinitive:
| advise ask encourage expect |
intend invite order persuade |
remind tell want warn |
would like/love would prefer |
He encouraged his friends to vote for him.
Remind me to give Julia a call.
- Verbs with to-infinitive 1
- Verbs with to-infinitive 2
Infinitive of purpose
We also use the to-infinitive to express purpose (to answer why?):
He bought some flowers to give to his wife.
He locked the door to keep everyone out.
We can also express purpose with in order to and in order not to:
We started our journey early in order to avoid the traffic.
They spoke quietly in order not to wake the children.
or so as to and so as not to:
We started our journey early so as to avoid the traffic.
They spoke quietly so as not to wake the children.
- Infinitive of purpose 1
- Infinitive of purpose 2
Level: intermediate
Adjectives with to-infinitives
We use the to-infinitive after certain adjectives:
| able unable anxious |
due eager keen |
likely unlikely ready |
prepared willing unwilling |
Unfortunately, I was unable to work for over a week.
I'm really tired. I'm ready to go to bed.
Sometimes the to-infinitive gives a reason for the adjective:
| amazed delighted disappointed |
glad happy pleased |
proud relieved sad |
sorry surprised unhappy |
We were happy to come to the end of our journey.
(= We were happy because we had come to the end of our journey.)
John was surprised to see me.
(= He was surprised because he saw me.)
We often use it + be followed by an adjective to give opinions:
| clever difficult easy |
foolish hard kind |
nice possible impossible |
right wrong silly |
It's easy to play the piano, but it's very difficult to play well.
He spoke so quickly that it was impossible to understand him.
We use the to-infinitive with these adjectives to give opinions about people:
| clever foolish |
kind nice |
right wrong |
silly |
She was right to complain about that hotel.
You were clever to find the answer so quickly.
We use the preposition for to show who these adjectives refer to:
| difficult | easy | hard | possible | impossible |
It was difficult for us to hear what she was saying.
It is easy for you to criticise other people.
With the other adjectives, we use the preposition of:
It's kind of you to help.
It would be silly of him to spend all his money.
- Adjectives with to-infinitive 1
- Adjectives with to-infinitive 2
Level: advanced
Nouns with to-infinitives
We use the to-infinitive as a postmodifier (see noun phrases) after abstract nouns like:
| ability attempt chance |
desire failure need |
opportunity refusal wish |
They gave him an opportunity to escape.
He was annoyed by her refusal to answer.
I have no desire to be rich.
There is no need to shout.
We often use the to-infinitive as a postmodifier after indefinite pronouns:
When I am travelling I always take something to read.
I was all alone. I had no one to talk to.
There is hardly anything to do in most of these small towns.
- Nouns with to-infinitive 1
- Nouns with to-infinitive 2
Comments
Hi team I have 2 questions
1)"I went to bed not to watch TV"Why this sentence is wrong? After
a-positive to-Can't we use a- negative to-?
2)"They moved to İtaly in 2015 to get a better job ." In this sentence where we must use preposition? After a verb or At the end of the sentence?
Hi Nuro,
When you place 'not' before an infinitive it has the meaning 'not because...' and you need to provide an alternative in the form of a positive infinitive:
You could also use the phrase 'so as not to', with the meaning 'in order to avoid':
This has the same meaning as ' in order to not':
Your second sentence is fine. I'm not sure which preposition you mean, however.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Nuro,
We don't normally use a negative infinitive of purpose. You could say 'so as not to' or 'in order not to' instead.
If you mean where the preposition phrase 'to Italy in 2015' should go, you've put it in the best position. One reason is that if the verb 'move' has a prepositional phrase that goes with it, it goes after 'move'. Putting the phrase here also makes it clear that the better job was in Italy.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
‘The drill takes about three hours to recharge.’ Could you explain me why we use ‘to’ in this sentence? Thank you:)
Hello Onur_kucukoglu,
The constrution here is:
Here are some similar sentences:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
In the sentence "It is hard to remain humble", what is the function of "humble"?
I understood that an infinitive has to express a purpose in order to be an adverb.
Hello an10,
'Humble' here is an adjective. You could replace it with any other adjective: happy, sad, optimistic etc.
In terms of its function in the sentence, it is a complement.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello.
Why isn't it possible to make a negative statement with just to+infinitive? Why is it only possible with the other expressions (in order to and so as to)?
Thanks in advance!
Hello Alicelle,
It is possible to use just + to + infinitive with negative forms. It's not very common, but it is possible.
Just + to + infinitive has the sense of 'for only this reason' or 'for no other reason'. For example:
The meaning here is that the only reason he left early was to be on time; there was no other reason.
We can use a negative before 'just':
We can also use a negative later in the sentence:
It's also possible, though very unusual, to use a negative infinitive:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks, Peter! Two more questions based on your answer. You use "to not be" in the last sentence:
1. Why do you use that order if the negative form of an infinitive is "not to be"?
2. Why is it unusual to use a negative infinitive?
Thanks!
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