THE INFINITIVE

 

THE INFINITIVE

The zero infinitive (also called bare infinitive) is the base form of a verb without “to”. It appears in specific grammatical contexts. Here are the different types of zero infinitive usages with explanations and examples:

1. The Modal Verbs like will, would, shall, should, may, might, can, could, must, need, dare etc., are always followed by a zero/ bare infinitive.

Examples:

1. He will play. (Not “will to play”)

2. She would swim well. (Not “would to swim”)

3. We shall play.

4. They should help their parents.

5. It may rain.

6. It might thunder last night.

7. He can pass the test.

8. I could solve the sum.

9. You must leave now.

10. You need not worry.

11. He dare cross the English Channel.

2. Auxiliary Verbs 'do', 'does', 'did' (in questions and negatives) are always followed by a zero/ bare infinitive.

Examples:

1. I don’t know the answer. (Not “don’t to know”)

2. He does not like coffee.  (Not “does not to like”)

3. She didn’t see the movie.

4. Do you know the answer?

5. Does he like coffee?

6. Did she see the movie?

3. Certain Verbs of Perception like  hear,  feel, see, watch, notice, observe (6) are followed by a zero/ bare infinitive when the action is completed or seen/heard as a whole.

Examples:

1. I saw them go. (Not “to go”)

2. I heard him sing a beautiful song. (Not “to sing”)

3. I watched them play in the park.

4. I felt the sun warm my skin.

5. I noticed him enter the room silently.

6. I observed the birds build their nests.

4. The causative verbs, commonly used with bare infinitives, are ‘allow, cause, force, get, have, help, make’ (7).

(Causative verbs are verbs that express the idea of making or causing someone to do something, or causing something to happen. They indicate that one person or thing causes another person or thing to perform an action.)

Causative verbs that take "to" + infinitives:

get: I got him to help me.

force: They forced him to confess.

allow: They allowed us to enter.

cause: The storm caused the trees to sway.

Causative verbs that don't take "to" + infinitives (bare infinitives)

make: She made him apologize.

have: I'll have him do the task.

let: They let us leave early.

With help, both constructions are possible.

Examples:

1. I'll have him do the task. (Not “to do”)

2. I helped him finish the project. (Also "to finish")

3. I helped her to finish the project.

4. I made him apologize. (Not “to apologize”)

 

N.B. : In causative constructions with ‘have’ and ‘make’, bare infinitives are used. While with ‘help’, both bare infinitives and infinitives with "to" are possible.

5. The most common permission verb used with the bare infinitive is:

Let.

Examples:

 

6. The most common verbs of suggestion commonly used with bare infinitives verbs are: suggest, recommend, propose

With Prepositions

Examples:

 

7. Some prepositions can be followed by a bare infinitive. Examples of such prepositions include 'except,' 'but,' and 'than.'

Example

I did nothing but cry when he left me.

He had nothing left to do except wait for the rain to stop

 

Examples:

 4. After 'Let' and 'Make'

These causative verbs are always followed by a zero infinitive.

Examples:

My parents let me go to the party.

The joke made everyone laugh.

5. After 'had better', 'would rather', 'sooner than', 'rather than'

These expressions are followed by the base form of the verb (zero infinitive).

Examples:

You had better take an umbrella.

I would rather stay home tonight.

He’d sooner die than tell a lie.

I prefer tea rather than drink coffee.

6. In Coordinated Verb Structures (with 'and', 'or', 'than')

If the first verb takes a to-infinitive or bare infinitive, the second verb often omits "to".

Examples:

She decided to come and help us. (not “to help”)

He can read or write, not both.

I’d rather stay than go.

7. After 'Why (not)...?' Questions

“Why” and “Why not” are followed by the bare infinitive when used to make suggestions or ask reasons.

Examples:

Why go there if you’re tired?

Why not ask for help?

Summary Table 

Structure / Expression Example

Modal verbs       She can drive.

Do/does/did in negatives/Qs         He didn’t come.

Verbs of perception     I saw him run.

Let / Make They made me laugh.

Had better / Would rather    You had better study.

Why / Why not  Why not go now?

Coordinated verbs       She wants to read and write.

Zero Infinitive (V1)    -ing Form (V+ing)

Verb-by-Verb Comparison (with Examples):

 

N.B.: Collected from different sources.