Infinitive Phrase

Verbs With Nothing Added

Do you like vanilla ice cream? Or do you like to add chocolate sauce, candy, caramel, or whipped cream? Whatever you add to it, it will still be ice cream - but it will look, taste, and smell a bit different depending on what is added. The infinitive form of a verb is like vanilla ice cream - it is the most basic form of the verb. Then, you have the option of adding endings and changing tenses. When you add endings and change tenses, you alter the spelling and sound, but the essence of the verb remains. Grab a spoon and some ice cream, and we'll explore infinitives and infinitive phrases for the remainder of this lesson.

Infinitives

An infinitive is the ''to'' form of the verb. For example: to drink, to eat, to sleep, to cry, to laugh. All variations of a verb are derived from its infinitive form. Since we began with ice cream, let us consider the verb ''to eat.'' It can appear as eats, ate, eaten, or eating. Each of these is subtly altered, but still obviously a form of ''to eat.'' Every verb has an infinitive form.

Infinitive Phrases

Because an infinitive is a verb, it can have a direct object that receives the action of the verb by answering ''what or whom.'' It can also have an indirect object that comes between the verb and the direct object and answers ''to or for whom or what.'' The infinitive and its objects can also have modifiers.

• Infinitive with a direct object: to bake cookies
• Infinitive with a direct and indirect object: to bake Julie cookies
• Infinitive with modifiers: to bake chocolate chip cookies

An infinitive with modifiers or objects is an infinitive phrase.

Let's find the infinitive phrase in this sentence.

Amber found a travel agent to plan her trips for her.

The infinitive phrase is ''to plan her trips for her.'' Let's dissect this infinitive phrase because it has several parts:

• to plan: infinitive
• her: describes trips
• trips: direct object
• for her: prepositional phrase describing to plan

Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases as Verbals

What is a Verbal?

A verbal is a verb that does the job of another part of speech. Infinitives and infinitive phrases are verbs that can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in a sentence.

Infinitives as Nouns

As a noun, an infinitive can play any role a noun can: subject, direct object, object of a preposition, subject complement.

• Amber wants to leave home. To leave home is acting as a direct object.
• Her greatest wish is to travel. To travel is acting as a subject complement.

Infinitives as Adjectives

As an adjective, the infinitive modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.

• Amber has many places to visit. To visit describes places.
• She needs someone to go with her. To go with her describes someone.

Infinitives as Adverbs

As an adverb, the infinitive modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or adverb.

• To prepare for her trip, Amber researched travel options. To prepare for her trip describes researched.
• She studied to learn the language. To learn the language describes studied.

Possible Points of Confusion

If you are looking to identify infinitives phrases, there are two situations where you could easily become confused.

Infinitive Phrase or Prepositional Phrase?

All infinitives have the word to. The word to is also a preposition, so when you see to, ask yourself: Does it come before a verb or a noun? If it comes before a verb, it is probably part of an infinitive. If it comes before a noun, it is probably a preposition.

Prepositional phrase: Amber flew to Rome after she left Paris.

Infinitive phrase: She was so happy to be there!

Infinitive Phrase or Gerund Phrase?

Another confusing item is this: both infinitives and gerunds can be verbs acting as nouns. How do you tell the difference? A gerund will always end in -ing, while an infinitive will not end in -ing. An infinitive always includes the word to.

Gerund phrase: Amber loves traveling overseas.

Infinitive phrase: Amber loves to travel.