Sudarshan Chakraborty

Lecturer
Department of English
BCIC College

Lecture 10 : Verbal ( part 3 )

The Infinitive

Read the following passage and look at the underlined words :

To eat junk food is harmful to health. But people have a habit of taking this food. It affects them badly.
Often doctors advise us to give up junk foods. They also encourage us to steam and boil our food but
forbid us to cook spicy and oily food. Therefore, we should take our food carefully to keep us fit.

Here the underlined words in the above passage are infinitive. Infinitive consists of to + base form of
verb.

Form and function of infinitive verb :

i) Present infinitive or to-infinitive : He wants to read this book.

ii) Bare infinitive: When root or base form of verb is used without to : The official made me fill
in a form.
iii) Present continuous infinitive: He seems to be looking for somebody.
iv) Perfect infinitive: I wanted to have finished the work before the class started. ( but ,
unfortunately , could not. ) You could have made the tea. Here, to have finished and have
made are perfect infinitive.
v) Perfect continuous infinitive: The brain and mind clinic seemed to have been conducting lab
tests rightly.
vi) Present infinitive passive: It was to be done immediately.
vii) Perfect infinitive passive: The match seems to have been played.

Infinitives are of two types: 1. Simple or Noun Infinitive 2. Gerundial or qualifying Infinitive

A. Simple or Noun Infinitive : When an infinitive works as a noun, it is called simple or noun
infinitive. E.g. To take a balanced diet keeps us fit.
B. Gerundial /qualifying infinitive : when an infinitive indicates purpose, cause, condition or result,
and is used like an adjective or adverb, it is called gerundial or qualifying infinitive. E.g. we
attend the class online to learn English language ( purpose ).

Uses of infinitive:
1. Infinitive can be used alone or as part of its phrase: To walk is a good exercise. To walk in the
morning is a good exercise.
2. As subject of a sentence: To forgive is a great virtue.
3. As complement of an intransitive verb: He seems to be happy.
4. As complement of a transitive verb : He inspired me to do the job.
5. To command or instruct be + infinitive form is used: The company is to ensure the benefits of
insurance to the client.
6. With Too/enough and some adjective/adverb infinitive is used : He is too busy to attend the
party. The govt. is optimistic enough to strike the deal.

Perfect infinitive : Perfect infinitive is past form of infinitive verb with have prior to it. For example :
to be --- to have been , to go --- to have gone , to help --- to have helped .

Form : to have + past participle . e.g. He appears to have been successful.

Uses of perfect infinitive : The perfect infinitive is used –

a) with was/were to mean unfulfilled plan or arrangement: The movie was to have been screened
as part of the festival today.
b) with should, would, might and could to form perfect conditional : if I had had a working permit ,
I would have gone overseas.
c) Should or ought to to indicate unfulfilled obligation : You should have done the work. ( but you
did not )
d) with should and would like to express unfulfilled wish : He would have liked to buy it.

e) with could/might to denote past inability or possibility : You could have phoned me.

f) with needn’t to express unnecessary past action : You needn’t have come. We could have
managed.

g) with past form of such verbs as wish, hope, desire, command, intend to mean unfulfilled
success : The team hoped to have clenched the title but failed.

The perfect infinitive continuous :

Form : to have been + present participle. It is usually used after appear, seem, happen, pretend and
so on. e.g. : He appears to have been waiting for a long time.

The continuous infinitive :

Form : to be + present participle . It is used after appear, happen, pretend, seem etc.

e.g. : The police seem to be following the suspect. He pretended to be looking for a job.