Types of Infinitives in English (Page 3) (C-Level, Advanced)
Negative Infinitives
Negative infinitives are formed by placing not or never directly before the infinitive (both to-infinitives and bare infinitives). Note that this placement distinguishes negative infinitives from negated main verbs and creates specific semantic effects.
Negative Infinitive and Negated Main Verb
Notice the difference between the sentences below:
- Negative infinitive: I have decided not to move.
- Negated main verb: I have not decided to move.
In sentence 1, the speaker has already made a decision, and that decision is to stay. The negation applies to what was decided (not to move) rather than to the act of deciding.
In sentence 2, the speaker has not made a decision about moving. They may be undecided or have postponed making a choice. Here, the negation applies to the act of deciding.
Forming negative infinitives
Examples
The company decided not to open a new branch this year due to budget concerns.
They told us not to mention anything about the surprise party.
The goal is not to avoid all mistakes, but rather to learn from them.
She promised never to reveal the secret, no matter what happened.
It's important not to have forgotten about the meeting we scheduled last week.
Split Infinitives
A split infinitive occurs when an adverb or adverbial phrase appears between “to” and the verb. Once considered grammatically questionable, split infinitives are now widely accepted in contemporary English, including in formal registers, particularly when they enhance clarity, emphasis, or natural rhythm. Nonetheless, some style guides and traditional grammarians maintain reservations, especially in highly formal or conservative contexts.
The key principle is functionality: split the infinitive when doing so improves precision or avoids awkwardness, but consider your audience and context.
Strategic use of split infinitives
Skilled writers use split infinitives deliberately to ensure the modifier is positioned exactly where it has the strongest effect on meaning.
Examples
The school aims to gradually reduce class sizes over the next three years.
Students need to carefully read the instructions before starting the exam.
The manager promised to personally handle all customer complaints from now on.
She wants to better understand how the new software works before the presentation.
Note. Compare “to better understand” (split) with “to understand better” or “better to understand” (unsplit). The split-infinitive version emphasizes the manner of understanding more emphatically whereas “better to understand” tends to sound more formal or bookish.
Infinitives in Reported Speech
When transforming direct speech into reported speech, infinitives frequently replace imperative forms or express reported intentions, requests, and advice. This construction is particularly common with verbs like “tell,” “ask,” “advise,” “order,” “encourage,” “warn,” and “invite.”
Reported speech with infinitives
Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) is used when you relay what someone said without using their exact words. You adjust pronouns, verb tenses, and time expressions to fit the new context.
For example, if Mary says, “I’m tired today,” a few days later you report what she said as, “Mary said that she was tired that day.”
Examples
Direct: My supervisor says to me, “Send me the report by Monday.”
Reported: My supervisor told me to send her the report by Monday.
Direct: He says to me, “Could you help me with this?”
Reported: He asked me to help him with that.
Direct: They say to her, “You should talk to your teacher about it.”
Reported: They advised her to talk to her teacher about it.
Direct: Our boss says to us sternly, “Don’t share this information with anyone.”
Reported: Our boss warned us not to share the information with anyone.
Advanced Applications and Considerations
Infinitive constructions go beyond these basic patterns and appear in many different situations. As you read authentic texts, such as articles, emails, books, and so on, notice how writers use different infinitive forms to create specific effects. Pay particular attention to:
- Register appropriateness: Passive and perfect infinitives are more common in formal writing. Progressive infinitives appear more often in spoken English.
- Emphasis and focus: Choosing between active and passive infinitives, or between infinitives and gerunds, often changes what information gets emphasized.
(Also see gerund and participle phrases in The Simple Sentence: Words and Phrases)
- Temporal precision: Perfect infinitives show clear time relationships that can be important in legal, historical, or analytical writing. Often, the perfect infinitive is required in order to express the correct time frame.
- Stylistic considerations: While split infinitives are acceptable, using them too much may seem informal to some readers; adjust your usage based on your audience.
(Also see Split Infinitive: Proper Grammar or Myth?)
Keep observing and analyzing how skilled English speakers use these constructions in different contexts. Stay curious so that, over time, you can master infinitive constructions naturally.
Assessment
Free Quiz
Quiz 1. Complete sentences with the correct form of the infinitive.
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Quiz 2. Complete sentences with the correct form of the infinitive.
Quiz 3. Complete sentences with the correct form of the infinitive.
Quiz 4. Complete sentences with the correct form of the infinitive.
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