Infinitives

Home Sweet Home

 Do
Do You
You Want
Want to
to Buy
Buy aa House?
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
Form and
and Function
Function
An infinitive is to + the base form of a verb.
Infinitives function in a variety of ways.

subject
Infinitives
can act
like nouns object
in a
sentence.
subject
complement
 Infinitives
Infinitives as
as Subjects
Subjects

subject

To find the right property takes time.

subject

To buy a house you really love is

important.
 Infinitives
Infinitives as
as Objects
Objects
object

People may choose to buy a larger house.

object

You can expect to have a longer commute.

Infinitives
Infinitives as
as Subject
Subject Complements
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
Infinitives Following
Following Adjectives
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
Infinitives vs.
vs. Gerunds
Gerunds 11
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
Infinitives vs.
vs. Gerunds
Gerunds 22
Some verbs are followed by infinitives or
gerunds with a significant change in meaning.

Examples: forget, go on, quit, regret, remember, stop, and try.

infinitive
You havent
done it
but its a
Dont forget to talk to the neighbors.
good idea.

gerund
You talked
to them
dont you Dont forget talking to the neighbors.
remember?
 Complete the sentences with
Practice 1 the infinitive or gerund form
of the verb.

Example: 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.
 Make sentences using infinitives
Practice 2 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.
 References
References

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