WordGarden.ioinfinitival
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ɪnfˈɪnɪtˌɪvəl/
US
- /ɪnfˈɪnɪtˌɪvəl/
Meanings
Adjective
relating to or functioning as an infinitive verb form
Beyond the definition
Imagine you're building with LEGOs. Sometimes you have complete structures (like finished sentences!), but sometimes you just have individual bricks ready to be connected. In grammar, an infinitive is like one of those single LEGO bricks—it's the "to" form of a verb ("to run," "to eat," "to think"). "Infinitival" simply describes anything related to these infinitives.
You'll mostly encounter this word when talking about grammar itself, often in textbooks or language study. A phrase might be described as "infinitival" if it includes an infinitive, usually a form like "to swim" or "to eat." For example, the sentence "He likes to swim" contains an infinitival phrase ("to swim"). It's a technical term, so you won't use it in everyday conversation very often!
"Infinitival" is an adjective used mainly in linguistics and grammar to describe anything related to an infinitive or built around one. An infinitive is the basic form of a verb. In English, it often appears with "to"—like "to be," "to do," or "to learn"—though English also has bare infinitives such as "go" in "She made him go." This verb form is not marked for person the way "runs" is, and it does not show tense the way "ran" does.
While you won't typically use the word "infinitival" in casual conversation, understanding it is helpful if you study language. A linguist might analyze an "infinitival clause" (a clause built around an infinitive) or explain how infinitives work in different languages.
For example, consider these sentences:
- "She wanted to travel the world." ("To travel" is an infinitival phrase.)
- "It's important to practice regularly." ("To practice" is another infinitival phrase.)
- "She made him leave early." ("Leave" is a bare infinitive in an infinitival construction.)
The term "infinitival" helps grammarians describe and analyze these structures. It's a precise way to talk about how verbs appear in their basic, uninflected form inside sentences. Think of it as specialized vocabulary for people who look closely at how language works. So, while you might not say "That's an infinitival construction," you can understand what someone means if they do.
Examples
- 1
Clause label
In "She hopes to win," "to win" is an infinitival clause.
- 2
Verb complement
The verb "want" is usually followed by an infinitival complement, as in "I want to go."
- 3
Language learning
The article looks at how children learn infinitival constructions such as "to eat" and "to play."
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- nonfinite
Contrast
- finite
- gerundial
Used with (collocations)
- infinitival clause
- infinitival phrase
- infinitival complement
Explore
- to-infinitive
- bare infinitive
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- infinitivaladjective