The infinitive

1. Study the following information.

The infinitives are:

The to-infinitive e.g. I hope to pass this exam.

The bare infinitive (infinitives without to) e.g. He can’t pass this exam.

The to-infinitive is used:

· to express purpose e.g. She went to the bank to get some money.

· after certain verbs (advise, afford, agree, appear, decide, expect, hope, manage, offer, promise, refuse, seem, want, pretend, etc.). e.g. He advised me to apply for the job.

· after verbs as know, decide, ask, learn, remember, want to know, teach, etc., when they are followed by question words (who, what, where, how, etc). ‘ Why ’ is followed by a subject + verb, not by an infinitive. e.g. I can’t decide what to do. I want to know why you’ve decided to leave.

· after adjectives such as nice, sorry, glad, happy, willing, afraid, ashamed, etc. e.g. He is glad to be back.

· after too and enough e.g. She is too shy to speak to her boss. We’ve got enough money to buy a new car.

· after it + be + adjective (+ of + noun/pronoun). e.g. It was nice of him to help us.

· after would like / would love / would prefer / would hate. (to express specific preference) e.g. I would like to learn a foreign language.

· after only to express an unsatisfactory result. e.g. He rushed to the back door only to discover that it was locked.

· after certain nouns. e.g. It’s my privilege to present the winner of the competition.

· after be + the first / second, etc. / last / best etc. e.g. You’ll be the first to break the news.

· after so + adjective + as. e.g. Would you be so kind as to help me with the correcting mistakes in this letter?

· in the expressions for + noun / pronoun + to-infinitive. e.g. For her to behave like that was very unusual.

· in the expressions: to tell the truth, to begin with, to be honest, to start with, to sum up, etc. e.g. To begin with, I’d like to introduce our new manager, Mr. Jones.

The bare infinitive is used:

· after modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) e.g. I must study hard.

Note. After the modal verb ought we use the to -infinitive. e.g. You ought to help her.

· after the verbs let, make, see, hear, feel in the active. e.g. They made him pay the damage.

Note 1. Be made / be seen / be heard (passive) all take the to-infinitive. e.g. He was made to pay the damage.

Note 2. ‘Let’ turns into ‘ be allowed ’ in the passive. e.g. They let him use their notes. – He was allowed to use their notes.

· after had better, would rather and would sooner. e.g. You had better sign the contract. I would rather go home now.

Note 1. Help is followed by either the to-infinitive or the bare infinitive. e.g. She helped me (to)

write the report.

Note 2. If two infinitives are joined by ‘ and ’, the ‘ to ” of the second infinitive can be omitted. e.g. He decided to go to university and study psychology.

Note 3. We form the negative infinitive with not. e.g. He decided not to accept the job.

2. Complete the answers using a question word + to-infinitive.

1. A: Which branch of science are you going to choose? B: I’m not sure ____________ 2. A: Where are you going to work after graduating from the University? B: I don’t know ________________ 3. A: How many people are you going to invite to your birthday party. B: I can’t decide _____________ 4. A: How are you going to do your hair? B: I’m wondering ______________ 5. A: Which articles are they going to discuss? B: I have no idea _______________ 6. What kind of flowers are you going to order? I haven’t decided ______________ 7. Where are you going to have your reception? I don’t know ___________________ 8. Which company are you going to hire. I’m not sure __________________

3. Complete the sentences with too or enough and the adjective in brackets.

1. A: Do you want to study today? B: Oh, no. I’m ___________ to study today. (tired) 2. A: Can you comply with this assignment? B: No, I’m not ____________ to comply with it. (competent) 3. A: Did they pass the exam yesterday? B: No. They were not _________ to pass it. (prepared) 4. A: Did you sign the contract yesterday? B: Yes. It was ____________ to delay. (urgent) 5. A: Would you come to the disco? B: No, I’m _________ to go to the disco. (busy) 6. A: Did they go on a picnic yesterday? B: No. It was ____________ to go on a picnic. (cold) 7. A: Did Jane enjoy the horror film? B: No, she was ________ to enjoy it. (scared) 8. A: Will you go to London by bus? B: No. The bus is ________ (slow). I’ll take the train. 9. A: Did she like the dress you tried on. B: Yes, but it was _________ (big). 10. A: Take a photograph of me. B: I can’t. It isn’t _________ in here (bright).

4. Rewrite the following sentences using for + to-infinitive.

A ) 1. It’s quite natural that he should act like that. 2. It’s strange that he refuse to accept the invitation. 3. It’s customary that the chief should preside over the staff meetings. 4. It’s necessary that they should make the decision today. 5. It’s urgent that you should clarify all the details of the contract. 6. It’s advisable that the they should place an advertisement in the newspaper. 7. It’s important that they should finish work today. 8. It would be a good idea that she should learn a foreign language. 9. It is impossible that she should let us down. 10. This is a lesson which you should remember for the rest of your life. 11. I’ll leave the magazine that you may read it. 12. The simplest thing is that he should come and see everything for himself. 13. The people gave way so that we might pass. 14. It is rather strange that they should leave without letting us know.

5. Complete the sentences using for +to-infinitive on your own.

1. The supermarket has a car park for the customers ______________ 2. The University has a gym for the students _____________ 3. The school has a playground for the children ____________ 4. The office has a canteen for the staff ____________ 5. The bus has a bin for the passengers ___________ 6. The youth club has a cloakroom for the members _______________7. The stepped aside for me ________________

6. Fill in to when necessary.

1. He agreed … come and … help us with the task. 2. They explained how … use the new rule. 3. We saw her … talk to our teacher. 4. She was seen … talk to our teacher. 5. She helped me … fill in my application form. 6. You had better … go to the office at once. 7. It was clever of you … book the tickets in advance. 8. He was the first … arrive. 9. You should …. apologize for your behaviour. 10. I ought … find a job. 11. It was her ambition … open her own firm. 12. He is reluctant … help. 13. I would rather … accept their offer. 14. It’s important … have the entire information. 15. He made them … listen to him. 16. Let him … clarify this point. 17. She was made … work overtime.

Дата добавления: 2015-08-18