Grammar Basics - Infinitives

Infinitives. Well, what are infinitives? They are verbs joined with the word 'to'. Funny thing about the infinitives though. They can also act as a noun, adjective, or adverb in the sentence. Let us look at some examples of sentences that have infinitives.

• I wish to go home. (verb)
• "To boldly go where no man has gone before." (adverb)
• That sound was deafening to my ears. (adjective)

Generally, the infinitive is used with the word 'to' as well. 

• It is common to use action verbs when writing fight scenes.
• It is appropriate to use your best etiquette when visiting someone's home.
• It was great to ride in your luxury car past the beach.

Infinitives were a little tricky to work with, but I enjoyed the challenge. It made me more aware of how important the word 'to' is. From now on when I use the word 'to', I will make sure that I take a look at the type of words I am surrounding it with. Maybe we should all take the time to (verb) look at words we are nestling around this word.

"Writing Styles - Be the Bright!"

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