Infinitive

Question

As you reach for the car door, you feel...I have heard that the infinitive can exist without the 'to.' Is this correct?If so, is 'reach' in the above sentence an example of this. I would have thought this verb shows tense, however. Therefore, I'm inclined to think it is not an infinitive (I just wanted to use a sentence example to help explain what I meant).Can you show me an example of an infinitive without the 'to' or am I wrong to say this can exist?Thanks.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi Eddie,
As you reach for the car door, you feel...

I have heard that the infinitive can exist without the 'to.' Is this correct?

If so, is 'reach' in the above sentence an example of this. I would have thought this verb shows tense, however.
Yes, it does. eg
As you reach for the car door, you feel . . .
As you reached for the car door, you felt . . .

Therefore, I'm inclined to think it is not an infinitive (I just wanted to use a sentence example to help explain what I meant).

Can you show me an example of an infinitive without the 'to' or am I wrong to say this can exist? There are lots of examples of bare infinitives, as I'm sure you know. You need to make your particular question more precise.

Best wishes, Clive

Avangi · Answer

I can't quite reach the car door.
I saw him reach for his gun.
She helped me reach my goal.
I'd rather reach the top by myself.
All I did was reach for a cigarette.

While learning a skill, such as typing, you often reach a plateau, and are unable to advance for a time. simple present tense

Yadoo86 · Answer

Module verb like: Can, Could, Must, Might, May and Dare always take infinitive but without To.

Cool Breeze · Answer

Eddie88I have heard that the infinitive can exist without the 'to.' Is this correct?

As others have told you, it is correct. More examples and explanations:
A 1. Can you speak English? Do you speak English? 2. How dare you say so? (Also: How do you dare to say so?)

3. He need not come. (Also: He doesn't need/have to come.)

1. The plain/bare infinitive (= infinitive without to) is used in connection with the defective/modal auxiliaries (can, could; shall, should; may, might; will, would; must) and with do, does, did.
2. and 3. The plain infinitive is used with dare and need when these verbs are used in questions and negations without the auxiliary do.B 1. I saw him come/coming. He was seen to come.

2. We heard Bob sing(ing). Bob was heard to sing.

1. and 2. The plain infinitive (or the present participle) is used in connection with verbs of perception (see, hear, feel etc.) if these verbs are in the active voice.
C 1. Mother made Jim apologize. Jim was made to apologize. 2. We let him try. He was allowed/permitted to try.

(Also: We allowed/permitted him to try.)
1. The plain infinitive is used after active voice forms of make and let. Let can't be used in thi sense in the passive voice.

D 1. We had better do it! = It would be best for us to do it!

2. I would rather stay at home. = I would prefer to stay at home.

BUT: I would rather he went (!) there. (Different subject!)

3. He did nothing but lie in the sun.
4. They couldn't but laugh at him. (= They couldn't help laughing...)E 1. Why tell him anything about it?

2. Why not ask him to come as well?

1. and 2. The plain infinitive is used in rhetorical questions beginning with why. These resemble exclamations and consequently no reply may be expected.

CB

Fandorin · Answer

I just can't stroll without saying thank you, guys. Great and plain explanations![Y]

Just my pitch towards the bare infinitive.

Everything I should do is to clean up my room without complaining.

When construction "to be to" is used and followed after "do", the second "to" is not used.
What he did was show off.

I'm trying to find the thread where CalifJim gave an amazing explanation about this subject, but I can't find it right now.

Eddie88 · Answer

I thank all of you!

Infinitive

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