Infinitive Participle Gerund

Infinitive 1.Form The infinitive is the base form of a verb. It may be preceded by 'to (the to-infinitive) or stand alone (the base or zero infinitive).

2. The to-infinitive is used: a.after certain verbs. want, wish, agree, fail, mean, decide, learn

b. after the auxiliaries to be to, to have to, ought to

c. in the pattern its+adjective +to-infinitive

with 'to' The elephant decided to marry the mouse The mouse agreed to marry the elephant You will have to ask her You are to leave immediately He ought to relax She has to go to Berlin next week It's easy to speak English

without 'to' I would rather visit Rome. She would rather live in Italy. Would you rather eat steak or fish? He would rather work in a bank. I'd rather be a forest than a tree.

Examples: Why wait until tomorrow? Why not ask him now? The question word Why is followed by the zero infinitive in suggestions:

Make and Let The customs officer made Sally open the case. Let me carry your bag for you.

The infinitive can have the following forms: The perfect infinitive The continuous infinitive The perfect continuous infinitive The passive infinitive

The perfect infinitive: to have + past participle e.g. to have broken, to have seen, to have saved. This form is most commonly found in Type 3 conditional Sentences e.g. If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.

Someone must have broken the window and climbed in. He pretended to have seen the film. If I'd seen the ball I would have caught it. Examples:

The continuous infinitive: to be + present participle e.g.to be swimming, to be joking, to be waiting

I'd really like to be swimming in a nice cool pool right now. You must be joking! I happened to be waiting for the bus when the accident happened. Examples:

. to have been + present participle to have been crying to have been waiting to have been painting The perfect continuous infinitive:

The woman seemed to have been crying. You must have been waiting for hours! He pretended to have been painting all day Examples:

e.g. to be given, to be shut, to be opened The passive infinitive: to be + past participle

I am expecting to be given a pay-rise next month. These doors should be shut. This window ought to be opened. Examples: