Parts of Infinitive Phrases

Infinitive phrases begin with an infinitive, and sometimes include modifiers

and/or objects that make the phrase more descriptive
a. Infinitives
The main, most essential part of an infinitive phrase is an infinitive. So, what’s
an infinitive? Quite simply, it’s the word “to” plus the base form of a verb, like
these:
 To study (to + study)
 To play (to + play)
 To leave (to + leave)
 To eat (to + eat)
Infinitives are verbal words expressing action, and shouldn’t be confused with
a prepositional phrase that begins with “to” (to + noun or pronoun—see How to
Avoid Mistakes).
Types of Infinitive Phrases
Infinitive phrases are always easy to spot because they begin with “to.” In a
sentence, they can work like nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
a. Infinitive Phrase as a Noun
When an infinitive phrase works like a noun, it answers the question “what?”
So, the infinitive phrase will be the subject, which does the verb; or an object,
which receives the action of the verb. Here are some examples:
 I don’t want to study for my test. What don’t you want? (Object)
 He needs to ace the exam. What does he need? (Object)
 To get good grades is my goal. What is the goal? (Subject)
 His job was to tutor me in math. What was his job? (Object)
b. Infinitive Phrase as an Adjective
When an infinitive phrase acts like an adjective in a sentence, it
describes a noun or a pronoun. So, that means it will describe a
subject or an object. Here are some examples:
 I want a tutor to help me study. Describes the tutor
 I need a magazine to read on the train. Describes the magazine
 There is a basket to put your exam in. Describes the basket
 I wish I had a friend to study with me. Describes the friend
c. Infinitive Phrase as an Adverb
When an infinitive phrase works like an adverb, it modifies the
verb in a sentence. Adverbs answer questions like where, when,
why, how, and for what reason/purpose, so, as an adverb, the
infinitive will answer the same questions.
 I went home to study for math. Why did you go home?
 He sat down to take the exam. For what reason
did he sit down?
 To get into college, you need good grades. Why do you need
good grades?
 To ace the exam, I studied for hours. For what purpose did you
study?
a. A Phrase isn’t a Sentence
There’s one rule that is really easy to remember: an
infinitive phrase can’t be a full sentence on its own.
Like all phrases, it doesn’t contain the subject-verb
combination that forms a clause. You can think about it
like this: since a noun, adverb or adjective can’t be a
full sentence, neither can an infinitive phrase. It is just
a part of a sentence, and needs an independent
clause to be complete.
b. Prepositional Phrases beginning with “to” are not
Infinitives
A prepositional phrase expresses time and location
and can sometimes begin with “to.” Even though they
also use the word “to,” prepositional phrases are
different then infinitives because infinitives combine
“to” and a verb, while prepositional phrases combine
“to” with a noun or pronoun. Look at the prepositional
phrases underlined here:
 Go to bed.
 You can give that to me.
 I am going to my house.
 The letter is addressed to you.