Download The Infinitive

The Infinitive
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There is a special class of words that are made from verbs but are not used as verbs.
They are called verbals. There are three kinds of verbals: infinitives, participles, and
gerunds. Verbals are used as various parts of speech.
An infinitive is a verb form that is usually preceded by the word fo. When fo is used before
verb,
it is called the "sign of the infinitive." The infinitive occurs in the following forms:
a
ACTM PRESENT: tO see, tO ChOOSe
to be seen, to be chosen
ACTTVE PERFECT: to have seen, to have chosen
PASSIVE PERFECT: to have been seen, to have been chosen
PASSIVEPRESENT:
The infinitive may be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Houtti; To survive was their only objective.
ADJECTTVE: The Colorado mountains are a sight fo see.
ADVERB: The plane is ready to land.
ldentifying lnfinitives. Underline each infinitive,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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9.
10.
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.
I seem
to have been reading the wrong chapter.
Do you want to eat lunch in the cafeteria or outside?
lt took four quarts of milk to make this pound of American cheese.
To admit mistakes takes maturity and courage.
ln the Middle Ages, magnets were thought to have medicinal powers.
Getting a good education will help you to get a good job.
Gandhi used nonviolent means to achieve independence for lndia.
The President and his advisers were to have arrived by noon.
Both environmentalists and business people want their opinions to be heard.
I would like to visit Walden Pond and Concord.
lt is possible for a bamboo plant to grow thirty-five inchbs in a single day.
12. My brother reminded me to put the car in the garage
13. This package is to be sent immediately.
14. The operator said to dial the number over again.
15. The posters were to have been delivered last week.
16. My ambition is to become a marine biologist.
17. Brazil is the only South American country to have been named after a tree.
18. The ancient Babylonians were able to predict solar and lunar eclipses.
19. Large ships, such as commercial supertankers, are not able to use the Panama
Canal.
20.
Series.
Don Larsen is the only baseball player to have pitched a perfect game in a World
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The Participle
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The participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective. There are several forms of the
participle.
PRESENT
PAST
PERFECT
PASSIVE PERFECT
PARTICIPLE:
PARTICIPLE:
PARTICIPLE:
PARTIC!PLE:
starting
started
having started
having been started
ldentifylng Participles. ln each sentence below, underline the participle. Draw an
arrow to the word that the oarticiole modifies,
EXAMpLE:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
&il;i-rry
Lou accepted the gold medal for women's gymnastics.
The bald eagle, our national bird, is now an endangered species.
The driving instructor gave us clear directions.
Having sharpened a stick of charcoal, Andrew began his sketch.
Cheering wildly, we welcomed the astronauts home.
The cats, stretched out in the sunlight, purred contentedly.
A good pair of running shoes is essential for anyone who jogs.
Maneuvering between the buoys, the freighter entered the harbor.
ln ancient times, the planting season was marked by special religious rituals.
Having climbed past the timber line, we could not find wood for a campfire.
10. Already impressed, Phil examined the rest of the coin collection.
11. The oldest known map was made about 2300 B.C.
12. Burrowing owls make nests in the burrows of prairie dogs and badgers.
13. Agnes Campbell MacPhail was the first woman elected to the Canadian
House of
Commons.
14. The Alaskan brown bear is the largest carnivore living on land.
15,
16.
The island of Madagascar, located in the lndian Ocean, was once a base for pirates.
The longest fresh-water yachting event in the world is the Chicago-to-Mackinac
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17. The "fainting couch" was a common item of furniture in the Victorian era.
18. There are forests covering about 90 percent of the state of Maine.
19. Founded during the 1700's, the Spanish missions were the first European
settlements in California.
20.
Many people in the Third World live in simple huts with thatched roofs.
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The Gerund
THE CLASSIFICATION
OF WORDS
The gerund is a verbal noun that always ends in -ing.lt is used in almost every way a
noun can be used.
Gardening is my hobby. (subject of the verb)
Gary enjoys singing. (object of the verb)
She wrote a book about sa/lng. (object of preposition)
His favorite subject is typing. (predicate noun)
We appreciated Joel's contribution , telephoning, vety much. (appositive)
ldentifying Gerunds. Find the gerund in each sentence below. Draw a line under it.
Remember to look for the -rng ending.
EXAMPLE: Good light is essential for reading.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Calvin prefers playing bluegrass fiddle.
Kayaking requires skill and experience.
Our cat likes jumping from the sofa to the windowsill.
Queen Elizabeth I started wearing a wig at the age of twenty-nine.
Learning a second language is easier for small children than for adults.
Erica took a class in sculpting at the community center.
Her insistence on working fast produced many errors.
Predicting the 1929 stock market crash made Roger Babson famous.
Researchers have learned that laughing is literally good medicine.
10. Three people shared a Nobel Prize for inventing the transistor.
11. Writing a research paper requires good organization.
12. The lndian ruler Shah Jahan ordered the building of the Taj Mahal.
13. After explaining the steps in the experiment, the chemist asked for our comments
and questions.
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14.
15.
16.
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18.
19.
The mayor cited Esther's great courage in risking her life for the sake of the child.
Sharing a room with a sibling has some advantages.
After mowing the lawn, I drank three glasses of iced tea.
John's shoulders ached from lifting so many boxes.
Presiding over the House of Representatives is the job of the majority leader.
Too much sunning dries out the skin and can be harmful.
20. Before coming into the house, Tammy checked the mailbox.
21. I became drowsy frorn swinging in the hammock.
22. Can you imagine performing in front of two thousand people?
23. After making a wish, Sofia blew out the birthday candles.
24. Alexander the Great introduced shaving into ancient Greece.
25. Sleeping up to twentythree hours per day is common among newborn
babies.
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