The infinitive is formed by adding ‘to’ the Present Tense of the verb.
- The infinitive is not a verb.
Example:
- To sing
- To read
- To sleep
The infinitive is used:
As the subject of a verb
Example:
To smile is a gift. (subject)
To laugh is important. (subject)
As the object of the verb.
Example:
She likes to write compositions. (object)
We like to enter competitions. (object)
As an object of a preposition.
Example:
The lecture is about to commence. (‘to commence’ is the object of the preposition ‘about’).