In English, there are three main ways that we use nounsNo definition set for nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with infinitive verbsNo definition set for infinitive verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
The infinitive completes the meaning of some nouns:
Andre had the ability to climb a rope.
She had a desire to travel the world.
The nouns represents or describes the infinitive action:
It’s a pleasure to teach Maria.
To put this bookshelf together was a nightmare!
The infinitive verb gives the future purpose of an objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. noun
I have a couch to sell.
I need something to do!
In this post, we’ll look at how to build each kind of sentence and give you some examples of common nouns that follow each pattern. You’ve got some work to do, but we’ll give you some hints to help you understand everything! Let’s go!
You can complete or enhance the meaning of certain English nouns by using infinitive verbs or phrases. These are called “infinitive complements.”
Usually nouns that take infinitive complements will be nouns that represent acts of speech, opportunities, thoughts, or abilities. The infinitive will provide the topic of that thought, speech, opportunity, or ability.
The suggestion to plant these flowers came from Tom.
It was close to the time to go to class.
She had a desire to travel the world.
Maria has the ability to sing beautifully.
Here are some more nouns in this group. Notice that many of them are related to verbs that are also followed by infinitive verbs, or describe similar situations!
wish
reluctance
way
demand
choice
failure
tendency
ability
reminder
permission
promise
request
option
willingness
plan
suggestion
opportunity
attempt
need
preparation
contract
agreement
offer
motivation
Usually, these nouns are used directly before an infinitive, but with some nouns, the infinitive can have a subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., introduced by for, as in:
This is an opportunity for him to make a lot of money.
Taking 1st Street would have been the best way for you to get to the library.
You can use certain nouns to describe an infinitive verb. For example:
It’s a pleasure to teach Maria.
Only a few nouns are used this way, but the sentence structure is fairly common, especially in polite speech. Some nouns like this are:
pleasure, dream, nightmare, mistake, joy, delight, pity, privilege, tragedy, ...
A few more nouns can be used this way only when they are described by an opinion adjective. For example:
good decision, bad idea, interesting choice, ...
Much like adjectives that describe infinitive verbs, nouns that describe infinitive verbs can be used in three different sentence structures:
Starting with “empty it”:
It is a pleasure to teach Maria.
Starting with an infinitive:
To teach Maria is a pleasure.
Starting with the object:
Maria is a pleasure to teach.
In all three cases, we are saying that the infinitive action and the noun are “the same.” However, we use each type of sentence in a different context. Let’s have a look!
The most basic way to say that a noun describes an infinitive action is to use “empty it” (a pronoun with no meaning) as the subject of the sentence. We use this structure:
It
be
noun
infinitive
For example:
It was a nightmare to put this bookshelf together.
It was a mistake to trust Bill.
Usually the infinitive verb directly follows the noun, but you can choose to add a subject between the noun and the infinitive using for + subject:
It was a mistake for us to trust Bill.
In very formal speech, you can start a sentence with an infinitive phraseNo definition set for infinitive phraseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. as the subject, then add the noun that describes that infinitive action. Use this structure:
infinitive phrase
be
noun
For example:
To put this bookshelf together was a nightmare.
To trust Bill was a mistake.
Very rarely, you can add a subject before the infinitive, using for + subject:
For them to trust Bill was a mistake.
This sentence structure is rare. If you want to make the infinitive action the subject, it is better to use an English gerund phrase as the subject instead instead:
Putting this bookshelf together was a nightmare.
Trusting Bill was a mistake.
You can also describe an infinitive action with a noun by putting the object of the action first, using this structure:
subject
be
noun
infinitive
For example:
This bookshelf was a nightmare to put together.
Maria is a pleasure to teach.
In this case, the meaning is a little bit different. Though the noun still describes the action, the sentence is telling you about the object of that action. Let’s compare:
It was a nightmare to put this bookshelf together.
Putting this bookshelf together = a nightmare
This bookshelf was a nightmare to put together.
A feature of this bookshelf: putting it together was a nightmare
A few nouns in this group sound awkward when the object of the infinitive is the subject of the sentence. For example:
❌ Bill was a mistake to trust.
❌ That story was an interesting choice to tell.
This is just something you will need to learn with practice. But luckily, if you accidentally use a noun this way, people will still understand you. It will just sound odd!
You can describe the intended future purpose of any object noun, by placing an infinitive verb directly after the noun. For example:
Andre has a couch to sell.
Bill and Maria brought cookies to share.
We have a lot of work to finish.
Usually we assume that the subject of the sentence is also the subject of the infinitive, but you can occasionally add a different subject to the infinitive using for + subject after the noun:
I need something for my son to do.
This is very common after nouns that are described by enough or by too + quantity adjective. In this case, the infinitive describes the goal you are trying to accomplish:
There are too many students in this room to count!
I made enough cookies to give everyone two.
We also often use the infinitive of purpose after indefinite pronouns:
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
The object noun and the infinitive of purpose can only be separated in questions:
What book did you bring to read?
In this post we’ve had a look at the main ways to use infinitive verbs with nouns in English. We saw that there were three main cases where we pair an infinitive verb with a noun:
The infinitive verb completes the meaning of the noun.
The noun describes or represents the infinitive verb.
The infinitive verb gives the intended purpose of a noun.
We also saw the sentence structures associated with each of these possible meanings, and some examples of common nouns used for each purpose.
