13. Infinitive Phrases. English Grammar Lesson

[AnthonyJ74]

Mr Thoth,

Great videos you have. I've learned a lot. I have a question:

When locating an infinitive phrase in a sentence, how do you know where the infinitive phrase ends and some other part of the sentence begins? I get confused about that. I know the infinitive phrase has the infinitive plus any modifiers, but I'm not quite clear on how to tell when the phrase ends, especially in a long sentence. Thank you!

[bekahguidry12]

thank you so much!! i got really sick and miss this entire section in class and there is a test tuesday!! you helped me a lot!

[lPheenixl]

Thanks a lot. I understand individual examples of infinite phrases but noticing them in a large text always confuses me. I believe the way forward is simply practice.

[MrDevin666]

Wow, thanks for the help. What grade level do you teach this at, because my school (s) never taught me this?

[MrDevin666]

So "To watch" and "to earn" are both an infinitive and prepositional phrase, while "to plague his enemies" and " to write" are just an infinitive phrase?

[MrDevin666]

@MrDevin666 In specifically those sentences in the video.

[mrthoth]

@MrDevin666 Nothing can be both an infinitive phrase and a prepositional phrase. Infinitives are never prepositional phrases, and prepositional phrases are never infinitives.

[MrDevin666]

@mrthothThe thing that kinda confuses me is that "To" is a preposition. Since "To watch" has a preposition (to) and answers "which one," Isn't that also a prepositional phrase, since they both function as an adjective?

[mrthoth]

@MrDevin666 When "to" is part of an infinitive phrase, it is not a preposition, so "to watch" has no preposition. So in "the man to watch," "the" is an adjective, "man" is a noun, and "to" and "watch" are adjectives, since they are part of an adjectival infinitive phrase.

[DeMarkieSade]

You don't show us where the lines go under "to earn money"? How would you place that on the base line, or branch it?

[mrthoth]

@DeMarkieSade This isn't a video on diagramming, but "Sandor worked to earn money" would be diagrammed as follows. The baseline would be bisected by a vertical line. Sandor would be to the left of the vertical line, and worked would be to the right. "To" would be on a line descending at an angle under "worked". "Earn" would sit on a line extending parallel to the baseline from the end of the line that "to" sits on. (Continued in next comment)

[mrthoth]

@DeMarkieSade To the right of "earn", a line must rise perpendicularly from the line that "earn" sits on, and to the right of that perpendicular one would put "money."

[DeMarkieSade]

@mrthoth Thank you Mr. Troth. I don't mean to be a pain in the kiester, but I desire to learn.

I just had that question with that paticular infinitve verbal, because it had (as I noticed) a verb and a direct object.

Many times when we encounter infinitives, they have only the preposition and an object; Therefore, I thought it relevant to inform, and subsequently to know, that they can have verbs and objects and modifiers of their own, as well.

Thank you.

Mark.

P.S. I am learning much from you.

[mrthoth]

@DeMarkieSade No problem. The short answer is that all the verbals get a mini-baseline of their own, and on that baseline there is room for objects and complements, just as is the case on regular baselines.

[DeMarkieSade]

Also, mr.troth, I read much nineteenth-century and pre... Literature, and as another person has already stated, many times those writers would not allow a preopsition to hang.

They would write, "He was a man in which many had reposited their faith, and of which...etc."

So, sometime, if you will, could you do a diagramming lesson on these types of constructions, for those of us who still read some Classic Lit?

Thank you.

[MrDevin666]

"To write" is a verb.

[mrthoth]

@MrDevin666 @MrDevin666 Thanks for your comment. "To write" is an infinitive, and infinitives are one of the three verbals (the other two being participles and gerunds). The part of speech of "to write" can be either adverb (I live to write), adjective (The book to write is one that will sell millions of copies), a noun (I want to write).

[moksshhh]

Hi

Tell me if i'm correct:

in line "I want to talk to you."

"to talk" is infinitive phrase acting as adverb, right?

and "to you" is not an infinitive phrase because in infinitive phrase the word next to "to" should be a verb, right?

what is "to you" then?

[mrthoth]

@moksshhh "To talk" is an infinitive phrase functioning as a noun; it is the direct object of "want". "I want to talk" is like "I want candy." The thing after "want" is going to be a noun, the direct object. "To you" is a prepositional phrase modifying "to talk." It is answering the question "To talk in what way?" or "To talk how?" (To you, that's how.)

[salee202]

If I watched this video in May, I wouldn't be doing this test in July :)

[AnthonyJ74]

Hello,

I have a question relating to the use of the infinitive. Which one of these sentences is written correctly?

Exercise and a healthy diet can help you lose weight

or

Exercise and a healthy diet can help you to lose weight?

I've seen sentences written both ways. I get confused about when the "to" part before the verb is needed.

Thanks,

Jason Anthony

[shuggarr]

thank you so much i would have failed my test without you 

[mentor32]

Good lesson but that last one was funny "He wanted a dress." Then again in this day and age, anything's possible lol or could've said, "He wanted a dress for his wife.". Either way great vid. Peace!

[olympianthief]

wow im homeschooled and when the work i was provided with didnt make since i looked up adverbs and adjectives u are the best teacher u had me understanding 3 minutes into thankyou do u do anything on math?

[makinawdandy6699]

Fantastic explanation.

[graffitilearner]

what grade is dis

[wtfisit25]

great i get it alittle more now but theres more things were doing. i dont get like instead of just noun,adj,and adv. theres like predicate nouns, predicate adj, and appositives. can you sum that up please?

[intimidati0n]

thank you

[yuriamancio]

The 542 is the train to catch...and the you asked, which train???

you said the train "to catch"....but the answer wouldn't be the 542??

thanks

[mrthoth]

@yuriamancio "The 542" is ONE answer you could have. So is "the". Which train? THE train, that's which train. That tells you that "the" is an adjective modifying "train". Which train? The train TO CATCH, that's which train. That tells you that "to catch" is functioning as an adjective, modifying "train." But "the 542", of course, isn't an adjective; it's the subject of "is", and subjects are nouns.

[TheEinal]

thanks...i tried to watched lots of videos from different teachers in you tube, however I wasn't able to understand them...thanks i found yours..

you helped me a lot..

please keep me posted.. by the way, what are embedded sentences?

thanks

[crazyghetto978818]

how can a verb function as an adjective.. it just looks like a verb to me..

[mrthoth]

@crazyghetto978818 A verb cannot function as an adjective, but an infinitive can. Infinitives are not verbs; they belong to a group of words known as verbals (the others in the group are gerunds and participles). A verb is something with a subject. In "I win," "win" is a verb and "I" is a subject. "I to win," however, is not something one can say; "to win," as an infinitive, is not the kind of thing that can have a subject, and so its part of speech cannot be verb.

[TheFeard]

better then my teacher, thanks 4 the help. Got a big test tommarrow.

[TheLarssan]

Thanks :)

[nikehops]

thank you!

[tj1031cheese]

i dont get it still. i just think all of them could be what because they almost all answer to the question WHAT. i dont get it

[GosseBosma]

What kind of questions each P.O.S is the answer to? I would like a list of such questions for each Part of speech.

I don't have an understanding of POS - they are defined by other POS which i also don't understand :(

[mrthoth]

Generally the "question" method of identifying parts of speech is used only for the identification of nouns (Who? Whom? What?), adverbs (How?  When? Why? Where?), and adjectives (Which one? What kind of? How many?).

[GosseBosma]

ty!! Also I want to find out what exactly is infinitive about infinitives "- so named because it is not limited to any person, number, or tense." I'm going to find out the "so named because" of other POS. Then maybe I'll understand.

[88pie88]

lol i only needed the first 15 secounds of the vid. tanks.

[TheJERMspoof]

me too!

[tdog661]

ty for the videos

[IluvVbahut]

Nice ...

thanks

[ericalexander19]

This is awesome. Thank you

[Khemix4]

I'm a scientist reviewing the essentials of english grammar I have forgotten over the years. I am using "Essential English Grammar" by Gucker and found his treatise of verbals weak. Your lecture cleared up things quite well. I found the exposition very clear and to the point, much like Guckers book for the most part. I intend to supplement more of your videos with the book, which I have no doubt will be of the same quality.

Thank you for the time you spent making such a great lecture.

[hockeyking61396]

Thank you so much

I have a quiz on this tomorow and I was terrible at it

[dethuongx0x]

Thank you so very much!

[trutta567]

I am very grateful to you for the time and effort you have put into making these most instructive videos.

May I ask you why Americans insist on saying "off of" , surely a preposition is not required.

Many thanks

john

[naslghiwanenglish]

Thank you , teacher . I have this phrase that bewilders me ; ' Marely was dead , to begin with ' . I don't know here wwhat ' to begin ' modifies. Does it modify ' dead ' , so it functions as an adverb , or modifies 'Marely' , so It acts as an adjective . thank you again

[mrthoth]

This famous opening of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" means something like this: "For one thing, Marley was dead." In these sentences, both the prepositional phrase "for one thing" and the infinitive phrase "to begin with" must be construed as adverbial; they modify "was". The "how when why where" questions that adverbial elements usually answer only work rather awkwardly here, one must admit.

[x0breeluvsyoo0x]

you have confused me more.

[mrthoth]

Sorry about that! Fortunately there are lots of teachers on YouTube (and elsewhere), and you can surely find one who works better for you.

[7Puertorican]

Now i understand.! thank soo much.!

[Dinodain]

thank you sir...

[hard1steel]

Please explain "split infinitives"

[bankman234]

thank you your videos have helped me greatly.

[Nonkhom]

oh ，i can't watch the movie it's too slowly

[MeowMix9989]

Thank you so much! Your videos are really great.

[waytubular]

Dude, you are freaking awesome! My teacher never explained this stuff to us, but I found this and was able to get a 95 on my test! I also spread this around to my friends, and it helped them! Thanks soo much!

[2112limelight]

im one of his Friends, You Rock, You helped me get a 85 on that test lol not as good as tubular's, V jo and the 23

[wootmonkey69]

Thank you so much for these videos! You're much better of a teacher than mine.

[yakandroid]

Please keep the videos coming. They are great!

[mertle22]

Thank you so much. My teacher couldn't even explain to us what infinitive phrases were, but sh e canceled our quiz. Thank you for the clarifications.

[321GL123]

thank you, i feel like my teacher just gives us sheets and tells us to do them, she dosn't even explain anything, not even close to what you did, you helped me alot, i really understaind this much better, and i feel confidant enough to do my test tomorrow!! :D THANKS!!!

[englishwithtony]

thank you for sharing

[Inusister02]

Thanks, you're brilliant! You saved my life on an English project!

[share5an]

thanx you help me a lot