The Infinitive
The Forms of the Infinitive
Active | Passive | |
---|---|---|
Indefinite | to teach | to be taught |
Continuous | to be teaching | to be being taught |
Perfect | to have taught | to have been taught |
Perfect Continuous | to have been teaching | --- |
The Indefinite Infinitive expresses an action simultaneous with that expressed by the finite verb.
E.g.: I shall be glad to see him.
The Continuous Infinitive denotes an action in progress simultaneous with that expressed by the finite verb.
E.g.: He seemed to be waiting for us.
The Perfect Infinitive denotes an action prior to that expressed by the finite verb.
E.g.: I am sorry to have troubled you.
The Perfect Continuous Infinitive denotes an action which lasted a certain time before the action of the finite verb.
E.g.: He proved to have been teaching English for ten years.
The Active Infinitive denotes that the subject is the doer of the action.
The Passive Infinitive denotes that the subject is acted upon.
E.g.: The man came to teach us English.
The man came to be taught English.
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