THE VERB + INFINITIVE:
Some verbs in English must be followed by the infinitive.
For example:
• Ø Rashid invited me to have dinner in the restaurant.
• Ø I agreed to go with him. But I refused to use his car.
• Ø We decided to eat couscous.
• Ø But it started to rain and we didn’t go.
As you can see all the yellow verbs above must be followed by the infinitive.
The infinitive verbs above play the role of object of the verbs in yellow.
Sometimes the infinitive can be the subject of the sentence. I have said above that a “gerund” can be subject. So we can say:
- To smoke is what makes me angry a lot.
- To play foot ball is what I love a lot.
The infinitive can also be the complement of the verb.
- My aim is to pass my baccalaureate exam.
- My ambition is to become a pilot.
Some verbs in English as in the examples above must be followed be the infinitive in case there is another verb after them. These verbs include: invite-agree-decide-star-accept – refuse – ask – fail – succeed – plan - begin – neglect…..
Examples:
• Ø Youness agreed to help me with my English.
• Ø Our sciences teacher has decided to take us to the gorges.
• Ø Fred has failed to get a good mark in the test.
• Ø Latifa asked the teacher to explain more.
• We are planning to have a travel to Agadir.
Notice that some of the verbs above are followed by an object and then the infinitive. Verb + object + infinitive: Rashid has agreed to give me his.
Subject: THE VERB + INFINITIVE 
Tue Aug 12, 2014 5:07 pm
