infinitive
noun /ɪnˈfɪnətɪv/
/ɪnˈfɪnətɪv/
(grammar)Idioms - the basic form of a verb such as be or run. In English, an infinitive is used by itself, for example swim in She can swim (this use is sometimes called the bare infinitive), or with to (the to-infinitive) as in She likes to swim. see also split infinitive
- Modal verbs generally take the bare infinitive.
- The use of the split infinitive is now generally acceptable.
- You use ‘have’ to form the perfect infinitive of a verb.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bare
- perfect
- passive
- …
- form
- take
- split
- …
Word Originlate Middle English (as an adjective): from Latin infinitivus, from infinitus, from in- ‘not’ + finitus ‘finished, finite’, past participle of finire, from finis ‘end’. The noun dates from the mid 16th cent.
Idioms
split an infinitive
- to place an adverb between ‘to’ and the infinitive of a verb, for example to say ‘to strongly deny the report’. Some people consider this to be bad English style.