Infinitives
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Key Points
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Infinitive refers to "to + base verb". For example, “to
find‘, “to understand”,..etc.The functions of the
infinitive are as follows:
(1) Acting as a subject
(2) Acting as a subject complement
(3) Acting as an object complement
(4) Acting as an object
(5) Acting as an adjective
(6) Acting as an adverb
(7) Forming a phrase "be verb + adjective +
infinitive"
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▶️ Acting as subjects
To host a clearance sale
is a common way for a retailer to sell off stock that is out of
season.
To find a niche in the market
is crucial for small businesses to survive.
To conduct a market survey
will help you find out what customers want.
It is necessary
to follow the security procedures.
It is quite urgent
to fill vacant positions immediately
as we are extremely understaffed.
(The above two sentences use “it” as the dummy subject.)
For more information, please refer to Lesson 6.
▶️ Acting as subject complements
The number one priority for us now is
to cut down operation costs.
Our short-term aim is
to deal with our current financial difficulties, but our long-term aim is
to improve the company's profitability.
This photocopier appears
to be broken.
The product seems
to be a good value for the price
according to customer reviews.
For more information, please refer to Lesson 6.
▶️ Acting as object complements
Most hotels request hotel guests
to vacate their rooms
by noon.
The HR manager encourages new employees
to actively participate
in the weekly training workshop.
The security system will not permit you
to enter the entrance
without the correct password.
The accounting department manager reminds us
to claim reimbursement for travel expenses
by the end of this week.
For more information, please refer to Lesson 6.
▶️ Acting as objects
Despite the low pricing policy, the company's competitor has failed
to boost sales.
A dramatic sales slump can take a heavy toll on any business, and
few businesses manage
to recover from
it.
The company got into debt and tried
to downsize, but
eventually, it still went bankrupt.
Most brands these days aim
to create a lucrative niche
for themselves and stand out from their competitors.
We were extremely understaffed last week. Luckily, Mike and Kelvin
offered
to work overtime.
Activision Blizzard agreed
to accept the acquisition deal
offered by Microsoft.
Although the workers
fought to be granted better conditions, their employers decided to
drastically cut their pay.
Here is a list of common verbs that are often followed by an
infinitive:
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Mood verbs:
like to, love to, hate to, prefer to
Start/stop verbs:
begin to, start to, continue to, stop to, go on to
"Want" verbs:
want to, need to, wish/hope to, expect to, would like
to
Planning verbs:
plan to, aim to, decide to, intend to
Suggesting verbs:
offer to, ask to, promise to
Agree/disagree verbs:
agree to, refuse to
Choice verbs:
prefer to, tend to, choose to
"Try" verbs:
try to, attempt to
Others:
afford to buy/pay, manage to, fail to
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For more information, please refer to Lesson 6.
▶️ Acting as adjectives
When an infinitive is
used as an "adjective", it is written after the noun to be modified.
This way of writing is called "post modification".
He has a chance
to get a promotion.
👉 “to get a promotion” is used as an adjective to modify
chance.
Mr. Wilson has some news
to announce.
I am not in a position
to answer that question.
I have a lot of things
to do, so I need to make
a to-do list and prioritize my tasks.
There isn't enough snow
to ski on.
There's too much sugar
to put in this bowl.
Jason has the ability
to multitask. This allows
him to effectively juggle multiple projects at the same time.
You have the right
to ask for relocation pay
since you are forced to relocate to an overseas branch office.
▶️ Acting as adverbs
Infinitives can function as adverbs to modify verbs or entire
sentences, expressing "purpose". This is essentially the same as
saying "in order to".
I want to travel abroad
to experience difficult cultures.
Emily has gone
to see her sister this
weekend.
To earn more money, he works both morning and night shifts.
To be healthy, she exercises 30 minutes every day.
We need to hold clearance sales
to clear out our summer stock.
A man came
to read the electric meter.
"Too...to" is a common phrase in English used to express that
something is at such a degree that it is not possible to do
something else. It essentially means "so much that not". For
example, in the sentence "The box is too heavy
to lift", it means that
the box is so heavy that it is not possible to lift it. Here are
more examples:
She was too tired
to work.
The water is too cold to swim in.
The book was too long for me to
finish in one sitting.
The exam was too tricky for me
to
ace it, but I did the
best I could and learned from my mistakes.
▶️ "Be verb + adjective + infinitive"
A very common sentence structure is "Be verb + adjective +
infinitive". This type of adjective is usually used to express
feelings, reactions, or attitudes. Here are some examples:
We believe our team should be able
to complete the research project
before the deadline.
I' m about to eat. Can I
call you back?
If you'r e willing
to fly at night, you can
probably get a cheap ticket.
I'm afraid I am not available
to cover your shift next
week. You will have to find someone else
to take your shift.
The editor is ready
to submit the revised article.
I am delighted
to introduce our new branch manager.
We are pleased
to notify you that your application for our accounting position
has been approved.
After a year of restrictions and quarantines, people were anxious
to get out and enjoy
traveling.
People who maintain a positive attitude and outlook on life are
more likely
to attract success and happiness.
For more information, please refer to Lesson 6.
TOEIC Example: It is vital ______ regular updates to all of our
existing software programs to ensure good work productivity.
(A) to distribute
(B) to be distributed
(C) distributes
(D) distribution
The correct answer is (A) to distribute.
The sentence is using an infinitive phrase "to distribute regular
updates" as a noun. The infinitive is the base form of the verb
and is commonly used with "to" in English. The infinitive phrase
then acts as the subject complement, explaining more about the
subject "it".
(B) "to be distributed" would be the passive form of the
infinitive. The sentence doesn't require a passive form here as
the focus is on the action of distributing updates. Using this
option changes the focus to the updates being distributed by an
unknown or unimportant agent which doesn't fit the context.
(C) "distributes" is the third person singular form of the
present tense. This form is not appropriate here as it doesn't fit
the grammar structure of the sentence. In this case, the sentence
requires an infinitive "to distribute" after the phrase "it is
vital".
(D) "distribution" is a noun derived from the verb "distribute".
The noun form doesn't fit the structure of the sentence here as it
doesn't follow the pattern "it is vital to do something". This
structure needs an infinitive verb, not a noun.
TOEIC Example: The proper way ______ a new product is to conduct
careful and thorough market research.
(A) launched
(B) in which launch
(C) to launch
(D) launching
The correct answer is (C) to launch.
The grammar rule used here is about infinitive verbs which are
a base verb with "to" in front of it (to eat, to go, to play).
In this sentence, "to launch" is used as the infinitive acting
as an adjective to describe “way”.
(A) “launched” is incorrect because it is a past participle verb
form and does not fit the sentence structure. The sentence needs
an infinitive verb, not a past verb to express the correct
meaning.
(B) “in which launch” is incorrect because it does not fit
grammatically in the sentence. The conjunction "in which" is often
used to add additional information about a noun but there's no
noun in this sentence that it can refer to.
(D) “launching” is incorrect because it is a gerund verb form and
does not fit the sentence structure. The sentence needs an
infinitive verb, not a gerund to express the correct
meaning.
TOEIC Example: The CEO has decided to hire a reputable business
consulting firm ______ a deeper understanding of current market
trends and customer needs.
(A) to gaining
(B) in order to be gained
(C) gaining
(D) to gain
The correct answer is (D) to gain.
The grammar rule applied in this context is that we use the
infinitive form 'to' + verb when we want to specify the purpose or
intention of an action. In this sentence, 'to gain' is used to
signify the purpose of hiring a business consulting firm which is
to acquire a deeper understanding of market trends and customer
needs.
(A) “to gaining” is incorrect because the 'to' infinitive should
be followed by a base verb (gain), not a gerund (gaining).
(B) “in order to be gained” is wrong in this context because it
suggests that the understanding will be gained by itself or
passively. It does not effectively communicate that the CEO is
actively seeking the understanding through hiring a firm.
(C) “gaining” is incorrect because it does not indicate a
purpose or intention. 'Gaining' by itself implies that the
understanding is already being acquired, which doesn't fit the
context of the sentence.
TOEIC Example: ______ customers are satisfied with the store's
service, customer representatives are trained bi-weekly.
(A) Ensuring
(B) To ensuring
(C) Ensured
(D) To ensure
The correct answer is (D) To ensure.
In this sentence, the infinitive form "to ensure" is
appropriately used to express the purpose or reason for training
the customer representatives bi-weekly. It is saying that the
reason for the continual training is to guarantee or make sure
that the customers are satisfied with the store's service.
(A) “ensuring” is incorrect as it is a present participle form
and it does not fit the sentence grammatically. It would only work
if the sentence was something like: "Ensuring customers are
satisfied, the store trains its representatives bi-weekly,"
treating "ensuring" as a gerund.
(B) “to ensuring” is grammatically incorrect as the infinitive
'to' should directly be followed by the base form of the verb. So
it should be 'to ensure' not 'to ensuring'.
(C) “ensured” would imply that the customers are already
satisfied with the service, which contradicts the continual nature
of the training. It's in the past tense and does not fit in this
context.