Page 65 - English Expedition Class 6
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Grammar
The Infi nitive
Read these sentences.
• Twenty years is a long time to wait for a meeting.
• Would you like to make certain it’s all straight?
The forms to wait and to make are infi nitives. An infi nitive is usually formed by adding to before the
base form of a verb.
An infi nitive can be used in many ways in a sentence. Some of these uses are shown below:
• To paint is his hobby. (as the subject of a sentence)
• He does not wish to stay. (as the object of a verb)
• Neena’s ambition is to become a writer. (as the complement of a linking verb)
• I was about to call you. (as an object of a preposition)
When the infi nitive follows certain verbs, to is often dropped. Such verbs are: help, dare, let, make,
need, observe, hear, see, watch, feel, etc.
People did not dare visit the haunted house. (not to visit)
I saw him leave. (not to leave)
Twixie made us run fast. (not to run)
We let the children cross the road. (not to cross)
The form of the infi nitive without to is called the bare infi nitive.
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct infi nitive forms of the verbs given in brackets.
1. Bob wanted _________________ his childhood friend. (meet)
2. Will your parents let you _________________ to the picnic? (come)
3. The teacher made the class _________________ on the benches as a punishment. (stand)
4. Would you like _________________ Mary and me _________________ this cake? (help, bake)
5. The little boy heard his friend _________________. (shout)
The Participle
Read the following sentences.
• Trying doors as he went, the policeman patrolled the block.
• Raised together, Jimmy and Bob became best friends.
The words italicized in these sentences are examples of participles. There are mainly two types of
participles:
• the present participle, formed by adding -ing to the base form of the verb
• the past participle, formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb or formed in irregular
ways
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