‘The Infinitive’

I. Choose the correct variant

1. You should … the truth.
a) to tell; b) told; c) have told.
2. Write it down … forget.
a) so as not to; b) not to; c) so that not to
3. I didn't mention it because I didn’t want ... about it.
a) he got angry; b) him to get angry; c) him get angry.
4. They did their best for ... the champion.
a) their son becomes; b) their son become; c) their son to become.
5. He is said ... a quick temper when he was a boy.
a) tohad; b) to have; c) to have had.
6. She is ... not to say a thing like that in public. I don’t believe that she said it.
a) enough clever; b) clever enough; c) too clever.
7. Sometimes you have to pretend ... people that you detest.
a) to be liking; b) to like; c) like.
8. It’s unusual ... such important facts in his report.
a) for him to overlook; b) of him to overlook; c) for him overlook.
9. Would you be so good as ... the news as soon as possible?
a) let me know; b) to let me know; c) let me to know.
10. These documents need ... immediately.
a) tobe signed; b) be signed; c) to sign.
11. It was very cold earlier on today but it seems … now.
a) warms up; b) warm up; c) to be warming up.
12. The book is ... to read. I’m bored.
a) long enough; b) too long; c) enough long.
13. I’m given a lot of paper work … at the office.
a) tobe done; b) for doing; c) to do.
14. A suspicious young man ... the building shortly before the incident.
a) was seen to enter; b) was seen entered; c) was seen enter.
15. I noticed … something into his pocket.
a) him to be putting; b) him put; c) him to put.
16. It was so nice … me flowers.
a) for him to send; b) he send; c) of him to send.

1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 10 ... 11 ... 12 ... 14 ... 15 … 16 …

II. State the syntactic functions

a) of infinitives, infinitive phrases or predicative complexes in the quotations:

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1. A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to
read.___________________________________
2. The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.______________
3. To live long, it is necessary to live slowly. (M.
Cicero)________________________________________
4. You may lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink.
________________________________________
5. To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance._______________
6. A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.
______________________________________
7. Everything comes to him who knows how to wait. __________________
8. Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.
__________________________________________________________
9. A zoo is an excellent place to study the habits of human beings.
_________________________________
10. If you throw mud, youare sure to slip in it. _______________________
11. Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
____________________________________
12. Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of.
____________________________________
13. Experience is said to be a comb which nature gives us when we are bald.
______________________________________
14. Each bird loves to hear himself sing. ______________________________
15. If you have no friends to give you advice, there may be a pillow for you to
take counsel of. ______________________________________________
b) Underline 5infinitives, infinitive phrases or predicative complexes with the
infinitive in the following text and state their functions.
Hi Mary,
Sorry I haven't been in touch for a while - the new job is keeping me busy.

I'm working as a receptionist. It was nice of Michel to find this job for me. But

frankly speaking, I didn't expect it to be so demanding. Some of the bills are quite

complicated to work out. Nevertheless, it's great that I have a job. My aim is to

save $500 by the end of the holidays. Then, I'll have two weeks free and there will

be time for us to enjoy ourselves too. Think about it. Erica

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 III. Add particle ‘to’ where required.
Two friends, Alex and Megan, are talking.
A: Megan, where were you last night? James says he didn't see you ... come in to
the party.
M: Yes, Alex, that's right. I'm sorry. My parents wouldn't ... let me ... come out
last night. I wanted ... see you - honestly I did.
A: Why did your parents make you ... stay in? They usually allow you ... go out in
the evenings, don't they?
M: Yes, but I hadn't finished doing my homework. And I was made ... stay in
until I had. I had nothing ... do but ... obey.
A: Oh dear, poor you. Well, let's ... do something tonight instead.
M: OK. Actually, I'd like ... see that new film.
A: Would you? The film is said ... be quite good but I'd rather just ... go out to the
cafe. We’ll have a chance ... talk properly.
M: Well, why not ... go to the early showing of the film and then ... go to the cafe.
A: I'm not sure I can ... afford ... go to the cinema.
M: That's all right. I've got some money. So, we’ll meet at six o'clock in the
cinema, if you don’t mind. I'll try ... get there a bit earlier and ... buy the
tickets.
IV. Fill in the correct form of the infinitive:
1. I saw them …................................ (get) into the taxi and ............. (leave).
2. He didn’t seem …................................ (notice) that it was raining heavily.
3. Your course paperwas supposed ..................................… (finish) by now.
4. Ann seems ….......................................................................... (daydream).
5. She is sure …...................................................... (arrive) by the next train.
6. This carpet is filthy. It really needs ….................................... (clean) soon.
7. The climateis said ….................................. (get) warmer with every year.
8. He appears ….................................................... (injure) badly in the fight.
9. There are pools everywhere. It seems ….................................. (rain) hard.
10. He claims ..................................… (discover) a cure for the common cold.
11. She seems ...................................................… (work) too hard these days.
12. Sharon tends ….............. (tell) lies. She is not the one …................. (trust).
13. Don’t make me .................... (laugh). You don’t let me .................. (work).
14. You were surfing the Net but you should ........................................ (work).

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V.Replace the group of words in italics by an infinitive or an infinitive complex as
in the examples below.
a) Threats don't work with the person who's got nothing that he could lose.-
Threats don't work with the person who's got nothing to lose.
b) It is likelyhe’ll catch the train if he starts right now. –
He is likely to catch the train if he starts right now.
1. What’s the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet which you
could put it on?_... a tolerable planet____________________________
2. It is said that the dinosaur was rather a stupid animal.
The dinosaur___________________________________________________
3. He wanted that I should learn Spanish.
He wanted_____________________________________________________
4. He was playing very softly so that he wouldn’t disturb anyone.
He was playing very softly_______________________________________
5. I lied to the police. That was stupid.
It was stupid ____________________________________________________
6. They robbed a bank. Somebody saw it.
They _______________________________________________________
7. You aren’t very old; you can’t understand these things.
You aren’t____________________________________________________
8. He reached the station exhausted and was very disappointed when he learnt
that the train had just left. ... exhausted _______________________________
that the train had just left.
9. I heard that he said it._ I heard____________________________________
10. There are some candidates here, which you should talk to.
There are some candidates here_________________________________
11. I’m sure that you will like the film.
You_______________________________________________________
12. I don’t know where I can buy the tickets.I don’t know___________________
VI. Say it in English using infinitives.
1. Я бачила, що вона сіла в таксі.
Isaw______________________________________________________
2. Він домовився, що хтось підвезе її в аеропорт.
Hearranged________________________________________________.
3. Погода була достатньо теплою , щоб не вдягати пальта.
Theweather_______________________________________________
4. Вона подумала, що виліт ймовірно (likely) буде затримано через туман.
She thought the flight________________________________________
5. Вона останньою сідала (toboard) в літак.
Shewas___________________________________________________
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6. Діти шуміли і не давали їй заснути.
Thechildrenmadenoiseand__________________________________
7. Дітей було неможливо заспокоїти. (tocalmdown)
Thechildren________________________________________________
8. Було б нерозумно з її боку сердитись.
It_________________________________________________________
9. Очікувалось, що переліт займе близько години.
Theflight___________________________________________________
10. Було декілька проблем, які вона мала обміркувати.
There_____________________________________________________
VII. Make up a story using infinitives and infinitive complexes.

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to sit in a pram and look around; to do some shopping. to wait for; to waste time;
to go into the shop; to go on to investigate the world; passers-by; to walk all by
himself; proved to be; to be careful; to stop; to walk across the street; a long and
dark tube; brave; to step inside and walk through the tube; to go back; to worry
about him; to come out of the shop; pretended

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 ‘Non-finite forms’
II. Read the following quotations and state the syntactic functions
a) of infinitives
1. To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge. (B.
Disraeli) _________________________________________________
2. Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
(H. Thoreau) ______________________________________________
3. Bad habits are like a comfortable bed. They are easy to get into, but
hard to get out of. __________________________________________
4. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. _____________
5. The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself. _________
b) ofgerunds
6. Failure is not falling down, it is not getting up again to continue life's
journey. (Richard Nixon) ____________________________________
7. Foresight is knowing when to shut your mouth before someone
suggests it. (Unknown) ______________________________________
8. Arithmetic is being able to count up to twenty without taking off your
shoes. (Mickey Mouse) _____________________________________
9. Diplomacy is the art of knowing what not to say. ________________
10. The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures
the disease. (Voltaire) _______________________________________
c) of participles
11. Science is nothing but trained and organized common sense. (Th. H.
Huxley) _________________________________________________
12. Science when well-digested is nothing but good sense and reason.
(Stanilaus) _______________________________________________
13. I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam; I
looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me. (W. Allen) ________
14. People who work sitting down get paid more than people who work
standing up.______________________________________________
15. Never give advice unless asked. (Proverb) ______________________
d) of predicative complexes (state whether it’s Inf., P I, P II or G.)
16. Fish is the only food that is considered spoiled once it smells like what
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 it is._______________,______________________________________
17. Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working. ______________
________________________________________________________
18. Life is full of surprises. Don't insist on everything being predictable.
_________________________________________________________
19. If it weren't for my lawyer, I'd still be in prison. It went a lot faster with
two people digging. ________________________________________
20. California is a fine place to live - if you happen to be an orange. (F.
Allen) ___________________________________________________
III. Underline 5 Gerunds, 3 Gerundial complexes, 3 Participles I, 1
Participial complex and state their syntactic functions:
I've been here for three days and I am having a great time, but I
can't help wishing you were here too. Tell your boss I'm really angry at
him. His not letting you take any vacation time qualifies him for the
Jerk-of-the-Year Award. Believe it or not, the first night I missed
hearing all the city noises, but having spent a couple of days in the peace
and quiet I easily got used to everything being so relaxed here. Getting
out of New York City was definitely what I needed, even if it's only for
two weeks. I spend my timeriding a horse. Horses are amazing animals.
The ranch employees do everything for you—the opportunity of being
taken care of is nice, for a change, and I love being chauffeured around
Santa Fe in the ranch limousine. Tonight a bunch of us are going out to
Rodeo Nites in Santa Fe for a dance, so my having taken those two-step
lessons last summer will come in handy.Tomorrow we're all going to
Taos Pueblo to watch some weave being done.

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 IV. Use either an infinitive or a gerund. Add particle ‘to’ or a
preposition if necessary.
1. He accepted the cut in salary because he was afraid ______________
(complain). He was afraid ________________________(lose) his job.
2. Did you remember ____________ (lock) the car? ~ Well, I remember
______________ (take) the key and I meant ______________ (lock)
the car but I’m not sure whether I did it. I’d better go and check.
3. The hunters expected __________________ (be paid) by the foot for
the snakes they caught. This meant ________________ (take) the
snakes out of the sack and _________________ (measure) them.
They seemed ______________ (expect) me ______________ (do) it.
4. He suggested _____________ (call) a meeting and ___________(let)
the workers ___________________ (decide) the matter themselves.
5. Almost as soon as I had posted the letter, I regretted ____________
(turn down) the job.
6. I’m trying ________________ (study) but I can’t. I’ve got a splitting
headache. I tried ___________ (take) some aspirin, but it didn’t work

V. Paraphrase the following sentences using non-finites &state their

syntactic functions.
E.g. He suggested that they should join a gym. - He suggested their joining
a gym. (gerundial complex, object)
1. It seemed that he was looking for somebody.
He seemed ________________________________________________
2. James went out. But he didn't take any money with him.
James went
out_______________________________________________
3. He was going to edit my interview out. I strongly objected to it.
Istrongly objected _________________________________________
4. I’ve just been to the dentist’s. He has filled my tooth.
I’ve just had ______________________________________________

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5. He was doing his homework. He was also listening to music.
He was doing his homework _________________________________
6. She isn’t very strong. She can’t lift it.
She isn’t _________________________________________________
7. He left while she was sleeping.
He left ___________________________________________________
8. Emma didn’t know the exact address. That’s why she spent a lot of
time looking for the house.
___________________________________she spent a lot of time
looking for the house.
9. There was a weakness in the methods that were used.
There was weakness ___________________________________________
10. We were really impressed by their performance.
Their performance was _________________________________________

VI. Complete the following sentences by adding infinitives, gerunds,

participles or their complexes. Give variants where possible.
M o d e l: 1) It's quite impossible —to do it/ for me to do it.
2) Nobody insisted on —going there/your doing it.

1. The book is really worth ________________________________

2. I don't suspect you ___________________________________
3. You're old enough ______________________________________
4. It's perfectly easy ______________________________________
5. It’s no use _________________________________________
6. I did not mind _________________________________________
7. She was the last________________________________________
8. He left without _____________________________________
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9. She was the last_____________________________________
10. She made __________________________________________
11. I don't feel like _____________________________________
12. We are used________________________________________
13. His absence was easy__________________________________
14. I’ve never heard_____________________________________
15. She seems _________________________________________
16. I can’t afford ______________________________________
17. At last he finished __________________________________
18. There’s no sense ____________________________________

VII.Say it in English using non-finites.

1. Ти чув, як сусідський собака гавкав усю ніч?
_________________________________________________________
2. Так. Коли його залишають самого, він завжди стає занадто
голосним. ________________________________________________
3. Сусіди, здається, поїхали у відпустку.
_________________________________________________________
4. Я бачила, як вони поклали речі в машину і поїхали.
_________________________________________________________
5. Я шкодую, що ми не поїхалиу відпустку, як планували.
_________________________________________________________
6. Ніколи не забуду, як ми відпочивали у Єгипті.
________________________________________________________
7. Ти ж знаєш, ми не можемо собі дозволити поїхати закордон цього
року. ____________________________________________________
8. Але ми обов’язково добре відпочинемо наступного року
_________________________________________________________

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9. Пропоную з’їздити в Крим для різноманітності.
_________________________________________________________

VIII. Write about an experience of yours when you felt embarrassed, frightened
or surprised. Use at least 10 different patterns with non-finite forms.
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