In English, there are many grammatical tenses that determine the syntactic properties and sometimes the external form of words in a sentence. One of the most changing parts of speech is the verb. Linguists also highlight the indefinite form of the verb in the English language, the so-called infinitive, the timeless form of the word.
What is infinitive
The infinitive is the initial form of the verb. It is on the basis of the infinitive that new forms of the verb are formed depending on the grammatical time. The infinitive of the verb in the English language serves as the initial form of the word and is rarely used in speech, but sometimes this happens.
Verbal infinitives are also present in the Russian language, they are easy to identify. This form of the word answers the question "what to do?" By analogy, you can determine the form of words belonging to this part of speech, and in English.
In general, the infinitive is formed by adding the particle to to the initial form of the verb in simple present tense. For example: to be - to be, to write - write.
You can remember several rules for using the infinitive, which will greatly facilitate your life. Here are some of the most common cases of using the indefinite form of the verb in English.
The infinitive is used after auxiliary verbs of the future tense (will, shall), modal verbs (can - to be able, must - to be obliged, but not after ought), after verbs that indicate feelings, perception (to hear, feel), after let - to allow , have - to be due, make - to force, after persistent expressions had better and would rather.
Infinitive forms
Infinitive can occur in various ways. In total, the infinitive has six forms.
- Indefinite. In this case, the action occurs at the same time as the action in which the word appears, acting in the sentence as a predicate or after it. For instance:
- She likes to read. - She loves to read.
- He will want to have it back. - He wants to get it back.
- Perfect. In this case, the action takes place ahead of time in which the verb-predicate is located. For instance:
- I was glad to have written to her. - I was pleased that I wrote to her.
- Long lasting. The action expressed by the infinitive is not permanent, but temporary, occurs now and will not happen in the future. For instance:
- He seems to be looking nervous lately. - Recently, he looks nervous.
- Active and passive form of infinitive. The action is directed at the subject or is performed by the subject in relation to something or to someone else. For instance:
- I want to be taken seriously. “I want to be taken seriously.”
- The infinitive in the sentence acts as a direct complement. For instance:
- To buy a paper. - buy a newspaper.
- The indefinite form of a verb in a sentence is indicated by an adverb. For instance:
Infinitive Functions
The indefinite form of the verb in the English language can act as different members of the sentence. The infinitive may be subject. For instance:
- To read a lot is very useful. - A lot of reading is very useful.
May act as the circumstances of the goal. For instance:
- To be alone I went to garden. “I went to the garden to be alone.”
May act as a definition. For instance:
- I have nothing to add. - Nothing to say.
Also, the infinitive can be a complement. For instance:
- I decided to write a letter. - I decided to write a letter.
It can be part of the predicate (often in conjunction with a modal verb). For instance:
- He may come in. - He can come in.
Infinitive turns
In the English language, one can come across such a thing as infinitive revolutions. An independent infinitive turnover is a verb in an indefinite form and a noun in a common case. In a sentence, such a turnover is often at the end and separated by a comma. When translating into Russian, along with a comma, the introductory word "moreover" is often used for separation.
There is also an object infinitive turnover, which is often called a complex complement. It consists of a noun in the general case or a personal pronoun located in the object case, and a verb in an indefinite form. It is customary to use such a turn in a sentence after verbs that mean:
- feelings and perceptions
- human mental activity,
- value of the statement
- emotions
- order or coercion to something.
When translating a text into Russian, a complex addendum is most often transmitted in the form of a subordinate clause.
And finally, the last, third kind of infinitive turnover. This is a complex subject, which is also sometimes called subjective infinitive turnover. It consists of a noun in the general case or a personal pronoun in the nominative case, and an indefinite form of the verb. In English, such a turnover is rarely used, often in the same cases as a complex addition.
Other forms of the verb
The verb has four forms in English. The to particle is a sure indicator that the verb is in the form of an infinitive.
There are also verbs in the form of the past indefinite tense. Designate an action taken in the past. It is formed either by adding the ending -ed to the base of the word, or according to the table of irregular verbs, which can only be remembered.
The third form is the past participle. It is formed in the same way as verbs in the past indefinite tense. The analogy in the Russian language is the participles of the passive voice.
The fourth form of the verb is the present participle in the active voice. It is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the base of the word.
Based on these four forms, all grammatical tenses of the verb in the English language are formed.
Conclusion
The infinitive is an indefinite form of the verb in the English language, applied outside of time and its grammatical rules. The basic form of the verb, on the basis of which all the other three forms are built.