Forms of Infinitives

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Besides simple infinitives like (to) write, there are also progressive, perfect and passive infinitives.

Progressive Infinitive

Form: (to) + be + present participle
Examples are: (to) be writing, (to) be reading, (to) be walking etc.

The progressive infinitive is used to suggest that actions and events are/were/will be continuing around the time we are talking about.

• I happened to be waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
• You must be joking.

Perfect infinitive

Form: (to) have + past participle
Examples are: (to) have received, (to) have broken, (to) have seen etc.

Perfect infinitives can have the same kind of meaning as perfect tenses or past tenses.

• I am happy to have left school. (= I am happy that I have left school.)
• You seem to have annoyed him. (= It seems that you have annoyed him.)
• It is nice to have finished work. (= It is nice that I have finished work.)

We often use perfect infinitives to talk about 'unreal' past events.

• If you had run a bit faster, you would have won.
• You should have told me you were coming.

Passive infinitive

Form: (to) be + past participle
Examples are: (to) be given, (to) be seen, (to) be loved etc.

Passive infinitives have the same kind of meaning as other passive forms.

• Everybody needs to be loved.
• There is a lot of work to be done.
• She ought to be told about it.

Perfect progressive infinitive

Form: (to) have been + present participle
Examples are: (to) have been crying, (to) have been waiting etc.

• We have been waiting for ages.
• How long have you been living here?

Perfect passive infinitive

Form: (to) + have been + past participle

Perfect passive infinitives are also common.

• They were lucky - they could have been killed.

See Also

Infinitives
Infinitives: forms
Infinitives without to
To-infinitives
Infinitive with its own subject
For-structures after adjectives
For-structures after verbs
For-structures: other uses
Infinitive clauses of purpose
Verbs that can be followed by infinitives
Adjectives that can be followed by infinitives
Nouns that can be followed by infinitives

See Also

Exclamations
Exclamations exercise
Exclamations: common errors
Common mistakes with pronouns - Part 2
Common errors with adjectives - part 1
Common errors with adjectives - part 2