Examples Of An Infinitive | Clear Sentence Patterns

If you teach English, study it, or just want cleaner sentences, infinitives appear everywhere. You read them, say them, and write them all the time, often without noticing. Once you spot them, you can explain structure with ease, check your writing, and give learners clear models.

This guide walks through what an infinitive is and gives clear sentence patterns you can reuse.

What An Infinitive Is In English Grammar

In English, the infinitive is the base form of a verb. It often appears with the word to, as in to read, to travel, or to study. Grammars use the label to-infinitive for this form and bare infinitive for the base form without to, as in go after a modal verb.

According to the Cambridge Grammar explanation on infinitives with and without to, English has both forms and each appears in specific patterns. They do not carry tense on their own, so another verb in the sentence shows time, while the infinitive carries the idea of the action.

An infinitive can work as a noun, as an adjective that gives more detail about a noun, or as an adverb that explains why or how something happens. Because of that, it fits in many parts of a sentence.

Quick Reference Table Of Infinitive Uses

This summary table gives an overview of frequent patterns before we move into longer lists of sentences.

Use	Pattern	Example Sentence
After common verbs	verb + to-infinitive	She wants to learn Spanish.
After adjectives	adjective + to-infinitive	It is hard to wake up early.
To express purpose	to-infinitive of purpose	They left early to catch the train.
As subject	to-infinitive at start	To read every day helps your vocabulary.
After modal verbs	modal + bare infinitive	We must finish the homework.
After question words	wh-word + to-infinitive	He asked where to go next.
With object + infinitive	noun/pronoun + to-infinitive	The teacher told them to revise the test.
In fixed expressions	set phrases	She prefers to be on time.

Examples Of An Infinitive In Real Sentences

Teachers and learners often search for clear examples of an infinitive that show how the form behaves inside everyday language. The next groups of sentences show the infinitive working as a noun, an adjective, and an adverb.

Infinitive Used As A Noun

When an infinitive works as a noun, it can stand as the subject, the object, or the complement of another verb. These patterns appear in both spoken and written English.

Infinitive As Subject

Here the infinitive or infinitive phrase comes at the start of the sentence. It stands for an activity.

• To travel broadens your view of the world.
• To write every day builds strong habits.
• To listen carefully shows respect.
• To learn a language takes patience and time.

Writers sometimes move the infinitive later in the sentence and use it as a dummy subject: “It is helpful to read aloud.” Grammars call this pattern an infinitive clause with it as a placeholder subject.

Infinitive As Object

The infinitive often comes after another verb. Many verbs in English follow this pattern, including want, hope, plan, and need. British Council resources on verbs followed by the infinitive list long sets of these triggers.

• They hope to pass the exam.
• I plan to start a new course in March.
• We decided to stay at home.
• She refused to answer the question.
• He forgot to lock the door.

In these sentences the infinitive phrase acts as the thing wanted, planned, or refused.

Infinitive As Complement

Some verbs take an infinitive phrase as a complement that gives more detail about a state or opinion.

• My goal is to teach English abroad.
• Her dream was to open a small café.
• Their plan is to move closer to work.

Infinitive Used As An Adjective

Infinitives can follow a noun and give more detail about that noun. In this position, they behave like adjectives.

• I have a lot of homework to finish tonight.
• There is nothing to eat in the fridge.
• She found a book to read on the train.
• We need a topic to present next week.

The infinitive explains purpose or describes what kind of homework, book, or topic the speaker means.

Infinitive Used As An Adverb

In adverb position, the infinitive tells you why something happens, or in what way.

• They met after class to practise speaking.
• She paused to think before replying.
• He went outside to get some fresh air.
• We stayed late to finish the project.

Cambridge and British Council grammar pages call this the infinitive of purpose. The action in the infinitive shows the reason for the main verb.

To-Infinitive And Bare Infinitive

So far the examples mostly show to before the verb. This is the usual choice in English, which grammars label the to-infinitive. The bare infinitive also appears often, especially after modal verbs and some verbs of perception.

To-Infinitive In Common Patterns

The following sentences show familiar patterns with the to-infinitive.

• We hope to see you next week.
• I forgot to bring my notes.
• She agreed to help with the event.
• They promised to send the results.

In each case, the main verb comes first and the to-infinitive expresses the action linked to that verb.

Bare Infinitive After Modal Verbs

After modal verbs such as can, must, and should, English uses the base form without to. Here are some examples.

• We can meet tomorrow.
• You should check your answers.
• They might finish early.
• He must leave now.

The bare infinitive also appears after verbs such as let and make when they have an object.

• Let him speak.
• The teacher made us rewrite the essay.

Infinitive Phrase Examples In English

So far the focus has been on single verbs plus infinitives. Many sentences use longer infinitive phrases with objects and adverbs inside. These phrases can sit in many parts of a sentence.

Infinitive Phrases As Subjects

In these sentences the whole phrase acts as the subject.

• To finish this book on time will take effort.
• To speak a second language well demands practice.
• To keep your notes organised helps during revision.

Infinitive Phrases As Objects

Now the phrase is the object after a verb.

• She hopes to pass the driving test soon.
• They decided to move to another city.
• He wants to learn how to code.
• We plan to organise a study group.

Longer phrases help you add detail about time, place, or manner while still keeping the infinitive pattern clear.

Infinitive Phrases Showing Purpose

Infinitive phrases of purpose often appear after the main clause. They give a reason for the action.

• They met online to prepare for the exam together.
• She saved money to buy a new laptop.
• We took a break to rest our eyes.

Writers sometimes use in order to or so as to with the infinitive for a slightly more formal tone, but the meaning stays the same.

Verbs Commonly Followed By Infinitives

Some verbs often pair with infinitives, so learners benefit from seeing them grouped. The next table lists frequent verbs plus short examples.

Verb	Typical Meaning	Example With Infinitive
want	desire or wish	I want to visit London.
plan	arrange in advance	We plan to travel in July.
hope	expect with some wish	They hope to see progress soon.
need	require	You need to rest after work.
decide	make a choice	She decided to change her major.
promise	give your word	He promised to call later.
refuse	say no	The child refused to eat the soup.

If you teach grammar, you can build short drills around these verbs. Ask learners to add infinitive phrases that fit their own lives, such as “I want to start a podcast” or “We plan to study abroad.” This turns abstract patterns into personal sentences.

Common Mistakes With Infinitives

Misunderstandings around infinitives often come from mixing -ing forms and infinitive forms, or from inserting to where it does not belong. Paying attention to typical patterns helps.

Confusing Infinitives And -Ing Forms

Many verbs can take either an -ing form or an infinitive, sometimes with a change in meaning. Learners may write “I stopped to smoke” when they mean “I stopped smoking.” The first sentence describes taking a break in order to smoke, while the second describes quitting the habit.

Short minimal pairs help learners see this contrast. Compare these:

• She forgot to send the email. (She did not send it.)
• She forgot sending the email. (She sent it but does not remember.)

Adding Or Dropping To Incorrectly

Another regular problem is adding to after modal verbs. Sentences such as “I must to go” or “They can to swim” sound wrong to native speakers. Modal verbs take the bare infinitive, so the correct forms are “I must go” and “They can swim.”

The reverse problem appears after verbs like want or plan, where learners write “I want go home.” In this case, the pattern needs to: “I want to go home.”

How To Teach Or Learn Infinitives Effectively

Once you have read many examples of an infinitive, the next step is practice. Short activities tend to work well in lessons and self-study sessions.

Spot The Infinitive

Take a short paragraph from a graded reader or a news article and mark every infinitive and infinitive phrase. This simple activity raises awareness. You can sort each infinitive into one of the roles from the first table: noun, adjective, or adverb.

Transform Sentences

Start with basic sentences using full clauses: “I left early because I wanted to catch the bus.” Then rewrite them using infinitives of purpose: “I left early to catch the bus.” This exercise shows how infinitives help you write more compact, fluent sentences.

Build Personal Examples

Ask learners to write ten sentences about their own lives using patterns from this guide: want to, hope to, plan to, modal verbs with bare infinitives, and infinitives of purpose. Sharing and checking these sentences in pairs or small groups gives extra exposure and feedback.

Main Points About Infinitives

Infinitives use the base form of a verb, with or without to, and work flexibly as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. They appear after many common verbs, after adjectives, with question words, and in phrases of purpose.