Infinitive with to in English
To-infinitive is used in the following cases:
Verb + to-infinitive
| after | verbs e.g. agree, arrange, beg, choose, claim, continue, decide, demand,expect, hope, intend, learn, plan, prefer, pretend, promise, resolve, swear, threaten, wish | I decided to buy a new car. |
| He agreed to help her. | ||
| We arranged to visit the house on Monday. |
| after | question words | I don't know what to choose. |
| I didn't know how to get in touch with them. |
| after | verb + object + question-word e.g. advise, instruct, remind, teach, tell |
He told us to run. |
| My sister taught me to swim. | ||
| She told me where to wait. | ||
| He warned me to stay away. |
Adjective + to-infinitive
| after | adjectives | He was kind to help us. |
| It was kind of her to help us. | ||
| How kind of him to help us! | ||
| He is eager to please. | ||
| He is easy to please. | ||
| She is amusing to be with. | ||
| Polyester is easy to iron. | ||
| It is good to be here. |
| after | the first, the second, etc. | She is always the first to arrive and the last to leave. |
| Who was the first person to arrive at the party? |
| after | 'too' + adjective adjective + 'enough' |
He is too weak to lift it. |
| I'm too tired to stay up longer. | ||
| He's strong enough to lift it. | ||
| It is ripe enough (for me) to eat. |
Noun + to-infinitive
| after | nouns related to verbs | The decision to wait was wise. |
| It's their wish to succeed. | ||
| His refusal to help surprised them. |
| after | nouns related to adjectives | He's determined / eager / willing to help. |
| I want to thank you all for your determination to help. | ||
| It's fun to be here. |
| after | nouns, 'something', 'a lot', etc. | There was nothing to do so we watched TV. |
| I want something to answer the phone. |