Types of Infinitives in English (Page 2) (C-Level, Advanced)
Perfect Infinitives
Perfect infinitives (to have + past participle or have + past participle) express actions or states that occurred before the time referenced by the main verb. They are essential for establishing time relationships and often convey
- regret,
- speculation about the past, or
- criticism of past actions.
For example, in the sentence,
He claims to have finished the exam in 30 minutes
the main verb (claim) requires a to-infinitive; however, what is claimed (finishing the exam) is in the past; therefore, a perfect infinitive, “to have finished,” is required. It is a to-infinitive and also indicates a past action.
Uses of perfect infinitives
Perfect infinitives as past actions or unrealized possibilities
Examples
The manager appears to have forgotten about our meeting yesterday.
(”Seem” expresses a present impression; the forgetting happened in the past.)
She claims to have seen the accident. (She claims something in the present; what she claims — seeing the accident — is in the past.)
The employees would like to have been told about the policy changes.
(This expresses a current wish about an unrealized past possibility — they were not told about the changes.)
It was silly of me to have assumed that everyone would agree with my proposal.
(Both being silly and the assumption are in the past.)
Perfect infinitives with modal verbs (speculating about the past)
You can use perfect infinitives with modal verbs to speculate about past actions or situations. This type of speculation is often used to “hedge” the statement, that is, to make it less direct or less absolute and avoid sounding too sure about something that is not confirmed.
Examples
They must have known about the problem when they made the decision.
She may have misunderstood the instructions when she filled out the form.
The senator’s decision may have informed customers about the data breach immediately.
The media might have exaggerated the story to make it more interesting.
Perfect infinitives expressing regret or criticism
Examples
It would have been better to have checked the weather forecast before planning the outdoor event.
The team ought to have noticed the mistake before sending the report to the client.
I would have liked to have joined you for dinner, but I wasn't invited.
The company should have trained employees better than it did.
Passive Infinitives
Passive infinitives shift focus from the agent to the action or recipient, following the pattern to be + past participle (simple passive) or to have been + past participle (perfect passive). These constructions are particularly prevalent in formal, academic, and professional registers.
Passive infinitive constructions
Examples
Simple passive infinitives (to be + past participle)
The essay needs to be rewritten before you can submit it to your teacher.
All employees expect to be treated fairly and with respect in the workplace.
The rule must be changed because it no longer makes sense.
After years of hard work, she expects to be promoted soon.
Perfect passive infinitives (to have been + past participle)
Examples
After years of hard work, she expected to have been promoted by now.
The documents appear to have been lost during the office move last month.
He claims to have been misinformed during his training.
The contract seems to have been written to mislead consumers.
I would like to have been notified about the schedule change earlier.
Passive infinitives following modal verbs
Examples
These complaints must be taken seriously by the management team.
The results should have been shared with everyone before the final decision was made.
Your concerns cannot be ignored just because they're inconvenient to address.
Progressive Infinitives
Progressive infinitives (to be + present participle) emphasize ongoing action or temporary states. While less common than other infinitive forms, they are useful for expressing continuity or actions in progress at a specific reference point.
Progressive infinitive examples
She appears to be struggling with the course.
The weather seems to be improving after several days of heavy rain.
We believed the project to be going well before we were aware of all implementation problems.
He claims to be writing a detailed reply to the employees’ complaints, but he has not said when he will finish it.
Up Next: Negative Infinitives
Continue the lesson to learn about negative infinitives, split infinitives, and infinitives in reported speech.