Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

Infinitive is a verbal (verb form usually preceded by to) that is used as a noun, adjective or adverb. For examples,

  •  To think helps us understand things better. ("To think" is used as noun subject.)
  •  I want to read. ("to read" is used as noun object.)
  •  It is the time to study. ("to study" is used as adjective modifying noun "time".)
  •  It is easy to blame. ("to blame" is used as adverb modifying adjective "easy".)
  •  We come to study. ("to blame" is used as adverb modifying verb "come".)


Infinitive phrase is a group of words that begins with an infinitive (to + verb) and ends with its object or modifiers.

Infinitive phrase = Infinitive + Object / Complement

Infinitive phrase is used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

As noun

  •  To exercise everyday is a good habit. (Subject)
  •  To be a millionaire is my dream. (Subject)
  •  We've planned to buy a house. (Direct object)
  •  I expect to finish my project. (Direct object)
  •  He has no choice except to leave the company. (Object of preposition)
  •  The woman was about to leave the shop. (Object of preposition)
  •  His goal is to become a sale consultant. (Subject complement)
  •  His hobby is to run early in the morning.(Subject complement)
  •  I saw a man run out of the shop. (Object complement)
  •  She feels the rain fall on her face. (Object complement)
  •  His proposal, to merge the two companies, was rejected. (Appositive)
  •  His habits, to tell jokes, will hurt him. (Appositive)

As adjective

  •  She will reserve time to answer your questions. (Modifying noun)
  •  The company has got the license to import its products. (Modifying noun)
  •  Find someone to design our company website. (Modifying pronoun)
  •  Something to do at this moment is researching. (Modifying pronoun)

As adverb

  •  A student comes to see his teacher. (Modifying verb)
  •  The teachers met to discuss the course development plan. (Modifying verb)
  •  We are glad to meet all of you. (Modifying adjective)
  •  She is not confident to deal with the problem. (Modifying adjective)
  •  He came too late to join the meeting. (Modifying adverb)
  •  The company responded too slowly to please its angry customers. (Modifying adverb)
  •  To tell in advance, I will not accept late submission. (Modifying whole sentence)
  •  To be honest, you have performed quite well. (Modifying whole sentence)