to-infinitive
Noun
Meaning
to-infinitive (plural to-infinitives)
(grammar) The English infinitive verb form when introduced by the particle to.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
Another auxiliary-type usage of the copula in English is together with the to-infinitive to denote an obligatory action or expected occurrence: "I am to serve you"; "The manager is to resign".
Note, however, that the to-infinitive of Hebrew is not the dictionary form ; that is the third person singular perfect form.
The form listed in dictionaries is the bare infinitive, although the to-infinitive is often used in referring to verbs or in defining other verbs: "The word 'amble' means 'to walk slowly'"; "How do we conjugate the verb to go?"
The form without to is called the bare infinitive; the form introduced by to is called the full infinitive or to-infinitive.
The infinitive is the basic form of the verb (be, write, play), although there is also a "to-infinitive" (to be, to write, to play) used in many syntactical constructions.
Uses of the infinitive The bare infinitive and the to-infinitive have a variety of uses in English.