The Infinitive is formed by adding to, expressed or understood, before the verb : He came to play.
Learn to read.
I saw him (to) go.
◼️ The sign of the Infinitive is omitted :
(a) After the active voice of the verbs please, see, let, make, know, feel, hear, bid, need, behold, watch, dare :
Please (to) go there.
I saw him (to) go home.
Let him (to) come.
He need not go there.
He made me do it.
We heard him say so.
I watched him go.
I have known him (to) go there.
[The use of to after bid is coming into vogue. Pocket Oxford has - Bid him go or to go.]
But when these verbs (except let) are in the passive voice, 'to' is not omitted.
He was seen to come.
I was made to sit down.
Ram was heard to say so.
But, 'He was let go.'
(b) After the auxiliaries and defective verbs can, do, has, have, may, must, shall, should, will, would :
Can you (to) do this ?
Do (to) go there.
I will (am willing to) go.
(c) After the verb had in such phrases as had better, had rather, had sooner, had as soon .. as, etc. :
I had better or had sooner (to) go.
You had rather (to) remain here.
(d) After than, except, as, better, and also but when it is preceded by do :
He is better able to walk than run (=than he is able to run).
He did nothing but (to) laugh.
He did everything except (to) carry out my order.
He did not so much as (to) say he was sorry.
Better (to) be with the dead.
✏️ Two Infinitives : Simple or Noun Infinitive and Gerundial (or Qualifying) Infinitive -
✏️ The Simple or Noun-Infinitive is used -
(i) As the subject of a verb : To err is human.
(ii) As the object of a verb :
He likes to swim.
I taught him to read
He was taught to read (retained object).
(iii) As the complement of a verb :
He seems to be rich.
I saw him go.
I ordered him to be punished.
(iv) As the object of the prepositions about, but, except, and also of than used as a preposition :
He is about to die.
I cannot but (to) go there.
He did nothing else than or except (to) laugh (Nesfield).
(v) Absolutely, in exclamation or interrogation :
To think that he would do so! And now what to do ?
✏️ The Gerundial Infinitive is used to express purpose, cause, condition or results, and may be attached :
(i) Adverbially to a verb :
He came to see me.
It came to pass.
We eat to live.
(ii) Adverbially to an adjective:
I am sorry to hear this.
He is ready to go.
I am anxious to learn.
(iii) Adjectivally to a noun:
I have a house to let.
Here is a chair to sit on.
(iv) Absolutely or Parenthetically to a sentence:
To tell the truth, I do not trust him.
To be brief, I am ruined.
NOTE :
(a) How to distinguish between a Simple Infinitive and a Gerundial Infinitive: The best way of finding out whether an infinitive is simple or gerundial is to expand it. If it becomes a noun clause it is a simple infinitive ; but, if it becomes an adjectival or an adverbial clause it is a gerundial infinitive.
(b) In colloquial English, when the verb has been already used, the verbal part of the infinitive is sometimes dropped, and to alone is used: "Will you go home ?' I like to (=to go home). Has he done the work ?"
"He ought to (=to have done)."
◼️ The Split Infinitive is the name given to an infinitive form in which the main verb is wrongly separated from to by some word between [কখনও কখনও Infinitive-এর to এবং Verb-এর মধ্যে অনা শব্দ বসাইয়া এ দুটিকে পৃথক (split up) করা হয়। এটা ঠিক নয়।] : I request you to kindly help me. I request you to quickly do this. The correct forms are-I request you to help me kindly. I request you to do this quickly.
[ But the use of the Split Infinitive has come to stay and occasionally serves a clear and useful purpose. Thus, in "Police schools have been started to better train rural constables," better cannot be shifted without injury to the sense or diction. ]
