What is an infinitive? English foundation practice

What is an infinitive?

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Objetivos de aprendizaje

Meta - Today, I will be able to identify what an infinitive is in English.

¿Por qué? - So that I can create stronger grammatical foundations in my native language.

¡Éxito! - I am successful when I write a paragraph using at least 6 infinitives in English.

Multiple Choice

First, let's talk verbs! What is verb?

• An action

• A person, place, thing, or idea

• A word that takes the place of a noun

• Any way the worm can crawl with the leaf

• The subject receiving the action

Open Ended

Give an example of actions we do in English.

What is an infinitive?

The infinitives are italicized in the paragraph below.

I am not much for deportes, because to play them you need to have athletic ability. I like to practice el baloncesto, sometimes, but I was never really great at it. My teammates would have liked that I tried harder, but I failed to dribble with my left hand and they failed to stop themselves from laughing. I quit el baloncesto and now I love to hike, to play tennis, and to lift weights.

Open Ended

What is something that you notice about infinitives in English?

Let's make infinitives

To make an infinitive in English you need to know what verb you would like to use and then add "to" to the beginning of it. For example:

to + run = to run

to + walk = to walk

to + hit = to hit

to + throw = to throw

If the verb does not have "to" in front of it, it has been changed or "conjugated" in some way.

This means that is has been put into a "tense". These tenses are things like:

past

present​

future

future progressive

past continuous

present progressive

etc. ​

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Multiple Select

What are some tenses into which we can put verbs? Select all that apply.

• Present

• Past

• Future

• Past progressive

• Future progressive

Let's look at some non examples of infinitives.

Run.

Running is hard on your knees.

I ran to the store and back for exercise.

We would run if we had more time.

What is being said in the above sentences? Why are they not examples of infinitives?

Multiple Select

Select ALL verbs that are NOT in their infinitive form.

• I ran so far away.

• To throw

• I walked for hours.

• I catch well.

• To see

Multiple Select

Select ALL that are in their infinitive form.

• To walk

• To run

• To throw

• To catch

• To lose

Let's take a look at another paragraph. Please take out a piece of paper and write out all of the verbs that you see in the following paragraph.

It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his solid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all, like the old joke, to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flapping pigeon-winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house.

Now, label the verbs as to which tense they are in, paying attention to verbs in their infinitive form.

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For example: He ran too quickly and he fell.

ran = past

fell = past​

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Open Ended

Now, please write your own paragraph that includes at least 6 verbs in their infinitive form.