6

Infinitives
Home Sweet Home

Focus on Grammar 5
Part VI, Unit 16
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Do You Want to Buy a House?

When you are ready to purchase a home, it is
essential to know how much you can afford to
spend. Location will be an important factor. People
who choose to buy a larger house in a rural area
can expect to have a longer commute. If you love
to garden, you may prefer to invest in a bigger lot.
Dont forget to talk with the neighbors to learn
more about the neighborhood. Your goal is to
create a happy home and make the best possible
investment.

Form and Function

An infinitive is to + the base form of a verb.
Infinitives function in a variety of ways.

subject

Infinitives
can act
like nouns
in a
sentence.

object

subject
complement

Infinitives as Subjects
subject

To find the right property takes time.

subject

To buy a house you really love is

important.

Infinitives as Objects
object

People may choose to buy a larger house.

object

You can expect to have a longer commute.

Infinitives as Subject Complements

A subject complement is a phrase that
describes or explains the subject of a sentence.
subject

subject
complement

Your goal is to make the best investment possible.

subject

subject
complement

Their dream was to have a big kitchen.

Infinitives Following Adjectives

Adjectives followed by infinitives often express
feelings about the action in the infinitive.
Examples: afraid, amazed, excited, fortunate, glad, happy,
important, likely, necessary, proud, reluctant, sorry, and willing
adjective

infinitive

They were ready to purchase a home.

adjective

infinitive

It will be necessary to inspect the property.

Infinitives vs. Gerunds 1

Some verbs are followed by infinitives or
gerunds with no change in meaning.
Examples: begin, cant stand, continue, hate, like,
love, prefer, and start.
infinitive

You may prefer to invest in a bigger lot.

gerund

You may prefer investing in a bigger lot.

Infinitives vs. Gerunds 2

Some verbs are followed by infinitives or
gerunds with a significant change in meaning.
Examples: forget, go on, quit, regret, remember, stop, and try.
You havent
done it
but its a
good idea.
You talked
to them
dont you
remember?

infinitive

Dont forget to talk to the neighbors.

gerund

Dont forget talking to the neighbors.

Practice 1
Example:

Complete the sentences with

the infinitive or gerund form
of the verb.

A couple was jogging down the street.

They stopped
to talk(talk) __ to the new

neighbors.
1. The people who just moved in are unfriendly.
talking
We stopped (talk)
__ to them.
2. She forgot (buy)__
to buy paint. She has to go back to the
store.
to go
3. I hope I remember (go)
__ to the
neighborhood meeting next week.

Practice 2

Make sentences using infinitives

and the adjective in
parentheses.

Example: Luckily, they found the perfect property. (fortunate)

They were fortunate to find the perfect property.

1. The owner didnt want to hand over the keys. (reluctant)

The owner was reluctant to hand over the keys.

2. They found some cracks in the foundation. (shocked)

They were shocked to find some cracks in the foundation.

3. I moved from my first apartment. (sorry)

I was sorry to move from my first apartment.

Passive Infinitives
Use to + be or get + past participle to make a
passive infinitive in the present. Use to + have +
been + past participle for the past.

Request to be shown houses in your price range.

infinitive

infinitive

The renovations were to have been done quickly.

References
Copyright 2006 Pearson Education and
its licensors. All rights reserved.