Infinitives Without To

We generally use the marker -to with infinitives. However, in some cases, the infinitive is used without the marker to. When the infinitive is used without to, it is called a bare infinitive.

Fill in the blanks with a bare or to-infinitive.

1. You must ……………………. those walls painted. (get / to get)
2. She should …………………….. (resign / to resign)
3. I refuse ……………………. such demands. (entertain / to entertain)
4. You need not ………………………. to him. (apologize / to apologize)
5. If you don’t want, you don’t need …………………… (go / to go)
6. How dare you …………………….. to me like that? (talk / to talk)
7. Do you …………………… she is telling the truth? (think / to think)
8. They made him ………………………… (obey / to obey)
9. I will not …………………….. to them. (listen / to listen)
10. We watched the children ………………………. in the park. (play / to play)
11. You had better ………………………. now. (start / to start)
12. I would rather ……………………… (wait / to wait)
13. He was made ……………………… (confess / to confess)
14. Why not ……………………… your problems with your parents? (discuss / to discuss)
15. We may never ……………………… out. (find / to find)
16. I am happy ……………………. (help / to help)

Answers

1. get (After modal auxiliary verbs, the infinitive is used without to.)
2. resign
3. to entertain
4. apologize (When need is used as a modal auxiliary verb, it is followed by an infinitive without to. When need is a modal auxiliary, we make questions and negatives without do.)
5. to go (When need is an ordinary verb, it is followed by an infinitive with to.)
6. talk (When dare is a modal auxiliary, it is followed by an infinitive without to.)
7. think (After do, does and did, the infinitive is used without to.)
8. obey (After make, the infinitive is used without to.)
9. listen
10. play (After verbs like see, hear, feel and watch, the infinitive is used without to.)
11. start
12. wait
13. to confess (The passive form of make is followed by an infinitive with to.)
14. discuss
15. find
16. to help

See also

Infinitives without to