Grammar Practice in Context - David Bolton, Noel Goodey 1997
45 Verb + infinitive with to: I want to come. She promised not to be late
Quick reference
• Many verbs can be followed by the infinitive with to. The most common are:
afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, choose, decide, demand, deserve, expect, fail, forget, happen, help, hesitate, hope, hurry, intend, learn, manage, mean (= intend), offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, remember, seem, tend, threaten, train, want, wish.
She learned to swim. They arranged to meet. We intend to sell it. He promised to write.
• Note the negative form of the infinitive.
He decided not to go. He promised not to laugh. She pretended not to listen to him.
• The verb dare.
Present: I daren’t look or I don’t dare (to) look. Past: I didn’t dare (to) look.
Questions: Do you dare (to) look? Did you dare (to) look?
• The verb help.
I helped to make dinner, or I helped make dinner.
• With some verbs we often use a question word + the infinitive with to.
1 Richard Yates, from Bristol in the west of England, plays football for a top London team. But he is not happy. A London journalist is interviewing him. Complete the interview, using these verbs: leave (x 2), not have, worry, see, be, come, admit, let, give up (x 2), talk, not understand, earn, tell, pay, change, play.
Journalist: Why did you decide (1) ... to London?
Richard: I didn’t decide. The manager of Arsenal happened (2) ... me in a match on TV. Two days later they offered (3) ... over ₷4 million for me.
Journalist: So why have you decided (4) ... London?
Richard: It’s my wife. At first she seemed (5) ... happy in London. She got a job because we’d decided (6) ... children for a few years. But she wasn’t happy.
She refused (7) ... that she was unhappy. She didn’t dare (8) ... me, because she didn’t want (9) ... me. But finally she agreed (10) ... to me about it. She told me that the problem was her Bristol accent. Everybody at work laughed at her when she spoke. They pretended (11) ... her. She worked for an insurance company for a month. But they refused (12)...................................... ... her answer the phone! So she decided (13) ... jobs. But the same thing happened in the next job. And now she’s even threatening (14) ... me and go back to Bristol on her own.
Journalist: So are you intending (15) ... football?
Richard: No, I daren’t (16) ... it ... It’s the only thing I can do. I’m hoping (17) ... for a Bristol team and I’m prepared (18) ... much less money as long as my wife is happy.
2 Carina has just got a job as an au pair girl with an English family called the Harveys. There are a lot of things she is not sure about. Write the two sentences as one, using an infinitive with to.
Example: What shall I call Mrs Harvey?/She doesn’t know.
She doesn't know what to call Mrs Harvey.
1 Where shall I put my dirty clothes?/She doesn’t know.
2 How do I set this alarm dock?/She doesn’t understand.
3 What time should 1 get up in the morning?/She wants to know.
4 How do I use the dishwasher?/She hasn’t discovered yet.
5 How much are they going pay me?/They haven’t discussed it yet.
6 How do I cook food in a microwave?/She’s never learned.
7 Where can I go to learn more English?/She’s wondering.
8 What shall I do on my day off?/She hasn’t decided.
3 Some tourists have just arrived at London Airport. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space.
1 A porter’s helping two Americans ... get a taxi.
2 A Frenchman’s wondering ... to leave his luggage while he goes to the toilet.
3 A businessman’s having problems. He doesn’t know ... to use an English telephone.
4 A group of Australians aren’t sure ... to catch a bus to the centre of London - they can’t find the bus stop.
5 They’ve asked three people and they didn’t know. Now they don’t know ... to ask.
6 A German businesswoman’s in the souvenir shop. She can’t decide ... to buy.
7 Two French girls at the Tourist Information desk are discussing ... hotel to stay at in London.
8 A woman from Nigeria wants to know ... to contact the Nigerian embassy.
4 Complete these sentences about yourself with an infinitive.
Check your answers with a teacher.
1 Next weekend I want ...
2 I can’t afford ...
3 In five years’ time I hope ...
4 I’ve decided ...
5 I don’t dare ...
6 I sometimes help ...
7 I don’t know who ...
8 I understand how ...
9 I often forget when ...
10 I’ve discovered where ...