Lesson 220 - Parts of the Sentence - Verbals - Noun Infinitives

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An infinitive is a verbal that is to plus a verb form. It can be used as a noun. 

 

Examples: 

to be, to see, to be seen, to be eaten

Noun infinitives may be compound. Sometimes the second to is left off.

 

Example: 

I want to eat and to sleep.

I want to eat and sleep.

The noun infinitive can be a subject, a direct object, a predicate nominative, an appositive, or an object of a preposition.

 

Examples:

To eat is fun. (subject)

I like to eat. (direct object)

A fun thing is to eat. (predicate nominative)

My hope, to travel, never happened. (appositive)

I want nothing but to save. (object of preposition)

Noun infinitives can have with them direct objects, predicate nominatives, predicate adjectives or modifiers to form what is called a infinitive phrase. 

 

Example: 

To eat solid foods is hard for babies. 

To eat is the noun infinitive used as the subject, and it has its own direct object foods with the adjective solid, which together make up the subject of the sentence.

Instructions: Find the noun infinitives and noun infinitive phrases in the following sentences and tell if they are used as a subject, a direct object, a predicate nominative, an appositive, or an object of a preposition.

 

1. Everyone wants to enjoy life.

2. She likes to be admired.

3. Two bad habits are to smoke cigarettes and to drink alcohol.

4. To stop the car suddenly can be dangerous.

5. To cheat is a sign of weakness.

--For answers scroll down.

Answers:

1. Everyone wants to enjoy life.

    - to enjoy life = direct object

2. She likes to be admired.

    - to be admired = direct object

3. Two bad habits are to smoke cigarettes and to drink alcohol.

    - to smoke cigarettes / to drink alcohol = predicate nominatives

4. To stop the car suddenly can be dangerous.

    - to stop the car suddenly = subject

5. To cheat is a sign of weakness.

    - to cheat = subject

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