13. Infinitive Phrases. English Grammar Lesson

Learn from Yossarian the Grammarian about infinitive phrases (to run, to learn, to cook, etc.), which function as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns

Category:

Education

Tags:

• verbal
• verbals
• grammer
• phrase
• sandor
• correct
• proper
• writing
• grammar
• english
• language
• humanities
• communications

[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?

[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.

[yakandroid]

Please keep the videos coming. They are great!

[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!!!

[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]

@MrDevin666 In specifically those sentences in the video.

[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.