Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

Make sure you go to Movie and Game Night this Friday!

What is an Infinitive?

• An infinitive is a form of a verb that generally appears with the word to and acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

Infinitive FunctionsSubject: To decorate requires gold, tropical feathers,

and rare furs.

Direct Object: Alone and frightened, she wanted to survive.

Predicate Nominative: The purpose of pictures was to record an idea.

Object of a Preposition: He had no choice except to relent.

Appositive: His goal, to travel, was never realized.

Adjective: The director of the camp is the person to notify.

Adverbs: -Cortes plotted to take over the Aztec Empire.

-Afraid to speak, he looked at his shoes.

Give it a shot!-Identifying Infinitives: Write the infinitive in each

sentence. Then, tell how each functions in the sentence.

• Native Americans had a variety of ways to travel.

• To walk on top of the snow is the purpose of snowshoes.

• If a woman wanted to carry many objects at a time, she may have used a carrying basket.

• It was made especially to fit on her shoulders and head.

• Those who planned to travel by water used boats made of wood, bark, or animal skins.

Take Note: Prepositional Phrase or Infinitive?

• Take note: Take care not to confuse a prepositional phrase beginning with to with an infinitive.

• How to distinguish: A prepositional phrase always ends with a noun or pronoun. An infinitive always ends with a verb.

Prepositional Phrase Infinitive

We went to the movies last week.

I didn’t want the movie to end.

Give it a shot!- Distinguish between prepositional phrases and infinitives: Write each

phrase beginning with to in the sentences below. Then, label each prepositional phrase or infinitive.

1. Clothing of different tribes varied from area to area.2. Plains tribes used tubes of bone to make a hair-pipe breastplate.3. Breechcloths, cloths hung around the waist to cover the lower body,

were used by several different tribes.4. Women in the California area wore grass skirts to their knees.5. Chiefs of the Southwest wore robes of feathers to important

ceremonies.6. Many Native Americans living in colder climates made their clothing

out of fur to keep themselves warm.7. Many tribes went to the forest for materials.8. Those that lived in the Northwest often used bark and reed to make

their clothing.9. Moccasins were worn to protect feet.10. To the Native Americans living in warmer climates, clothing was not

always an important part of survival.