Infinitive Worksheet

The forms and functions of the Infinitive: free exercises and answers to check your result.

Exercise  1
Define the forms of the Infinitive (Passive or Active; Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect or Perfect Continuous) in the following sentences.

1. I want to see your design.
2. It can be done.
3. The mistake must be found.
4. We knew him to be working in the room.
5. They are likely to be being served now.
6. I remember to have seen her somewhere.
7. We thought the mistake to have been found.
8. He must have been working all night.
9. She appeared to have been leading a very busy life before.
10. It’s nice to be sitting here with you.
11. It’s good to have finished work for the day.
12. I’m sorry not to have come on Friday.
13. I appear to have made a small mistake.
14. I didn’t expect to be invited.
15. There is a lot of work to do.
16. There is a lot of work to be done.

Answers: 1. to see – Indefinite Active; 2. be done – Indefinite Passive; 3. must be found – Indefinite Passive; 4. to be working – Continuous Active; 5. to be being served – Continuous Passive; 6. to have seen – Perfect Active; 7. to have been found – Perfect Passive; 8. have been working – Perfect Continuous Active; 9. to have been leading - Perfect Continuous Active; 10. to be sitting – Indefinite Active; 11. to have finished – Perfect Active; 12. to have come – Perfect Active; 13. to have made – Perfect Active; 14. to be invited – Indefinite Passive; 15. to do – Indefinite Active; 16.  to be done – Indefinite Passive

Exercise 2
State the functions of the Infinitive in the sentences.

1. To say is to act.
2. To err is human, to forgive is divine.
3. To travel hopefully is the better thing.
4. The problem was to get there in time. 
5. Our duty is to help this man.
6. He began to read this story yesterday.
7. He can’t utter a word.
8. He wanted to read this book.
9. He prefers to read books in the original.
10. She was the first to come.
11. We shall have no possibility to go there.
12. The road to connect these two towns is being built.
13. Here is the letter to be sent at once.
14. There was only one house to live in.
15. There is no chance to get tickets for this concert.
16. He stopped there (in order) to rest a little.
17. He has come to see you.
18. You must work hard to master English.
19. He is well enough to continue this way.

Answers:

1. To say is to act. (subject and part of predicate)
2. To err is human, to forgive is divine. (subject and subject)
3. To travel hopefully is the better thing. (subject)
4. The problem was to get there in time.  (part of predicate)
5. Our duty is to help this man. (part of predicate)
6. He began to read this story yesterday. (part of predicate)
7. He can’t utter a word. (part of predicate)
8. He wanted to read this book (object)
9. He prefers to read books in the original. (object)
10. She was the first to come. (attribute)
11. We shall have no possibility to go there. (attribute)
12. The road to connect these two towns is being built. (attribute)
13. Here is the letter to be sent at once. (attribute)
14. There was only one house to live in. (attribute)
15. There is no chance to get tickets for this concert. (attribute)
16. He stopped there (in order) to rest a little. (adverbial modifier of purpose)
17. He has come to see you. (adverbial modifier of purpose)
18. You must work hard to master English. (adverbial modifier of purpose)
19. He is well enough to continue this way. (adverbial modifier  of result)

Exercise 3
Replace the subordinate clauses by infinitives in various functions.

Model
A: The child is very proud that he pressed the button in the lift.
B: The child is very proud to press the button in the lift.

1. I am proud that I have completed this work by the 1-st of June.
2. We are glad that we have seen this game.
3. There is a lift in the house which takes us to the upper stories.
4. She said she was sorry that she had missed you.
5. I’m sorry that I didn’t come on Friday.
6. We have a comfortable bed in which you can sleep.
7. He bought some beautiful pictures which he will hang in his study.
8. Ann was surprised when she heard Peter’s voice.

Answers:

1. I am proud to have completed this work by the 1-st of June.
2. We are glad to have seen this game.
3. There is a lift in the house to take us to the upper stories.
4. She said she was sorry to have missed you.
5. I’m sorry not to have come on Friday.
6. We have a comfortable bed for you to sleep.
7. He bought some beautiful pictures to hang in his study.
8. Ann was surprised to hear Peter’s voice.

Exercise 4
Begin these sentences with ‘it’ and put the infinitive to the end.

Model:

A: To make mistakes is easy.

B: It is easy to make mistakes.

1. To explain what I meant was impossible.
2. To complete our research on time was important for the project.
3. To sell my car was difficult.
4. To get finished on time was a great feeling.

Answers:

1. It was impossible to explain what I meant.
2. It was important for the project to complete our research on time.
3. It was difficult to sell my car.
4. It was a great feeling to get finished on time.

Exercise 5
Insert an active or a passive infinitive from the list below.

1. She was delighted … to the party.
2. She was delighted … her friends to the party.
3. I hate … you but I can’t move the table alone.
4. She hated  … with questions concerning the cost of her furniture.
5. The room … as  a nursery should be warm enough.
6. His intention is … this room as a nursery.
7. She was anxious for us … her taste in decorating the flat.
8. Her taste in furnishing the room should …

(to invite, to use, to praise, to bother)

Answers:

1. She was delighted to have been invited to the party.
2. She was delighted to have invited her friends to the party.
3. I hate to bother you but I can’t move the table alone.
4. She hated to be bothered with questions concerning the cost of her furniture.
5. The room to be used as a nursery should be warm enough.
6. His intention is to use this room as a nursery.
7. She was anxious for us to praise her taste in decorating the flat.
8. Her taste in furnishing the room should be praised.

Exercise 6
Retell the following extract using infinitives in various functions.

 Text

Paul offered to accompany his mother and they soon found a little gate, and soon were in a broad green alley of the wood. In front was a cluster of low red farm buildings. It was very still. They were already near enough to see a pond under overhanging oak-trees and some cows in the shade. Mother and son went into the small garden. By the open door were some floury loaves, put out to cool. A hen was just coming to peck them. In a minute a small frail woman appeared. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I am glad to see you. It’s so lost up here, we have no one to talk to."

They were taken into the parlour – a long, low room, with a great bunch of roses in the fire place. There the women talked while Paul went out to survey the land. The world around was flooded and bluebells, while tiny forget-me-nots were in the paths.  The hills were golden with evening. It was perfectly still, save for the rustling of leaves and birds.

(After 'Sons and Lovers' by D.H. Lawrence)

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