Verbs Followed By The Infinitive

Verb

Example

ask

She asked to see her doctor.

afford

We can’t afford to eat out every night.

agree

Let’s agree to disagree.

aim

I aim to please.

appear

She appears to have the chicken pox.

apply

They may apply to join the organisation.

arrange

I’ll arrange to meet you at 3:00.

aspire

They aspired to be gentlemen, though they fell far short of the ideal.

attempt

We attempted to contact him several times.

bother

Lots of people don't bother to go through a marriage ceremony these days...

be about to

The ceremony was about to begin.

The train is to arrive on time.

be to be able to

He's not able to cut his responsibilities like we thought.

beg

She begged to stay up past her bed time.

care

Would you care to dance?

come

She said it so many times that she came to believe it.

cease

The government ceased to provide free healthcare.

choose

He’ll always choose to eat pizza if given the choice.

claim

They claim to have been home all night.

condescend

He condescended to see me at my hotel.

consent

She consented to marry him.

decline

She declined to address the delegates.

determine

They are determined to finish the race.
We determined to leave.

demand

I demand to see the person in charge!

desire

She desires to remain neutral in the dispute.

dare

Do you dare to approach me?

decide

We decided to get married in a hot air balloon.

deserve

You deserve to have all you want in life.

endeavour (try)

He endeavoured to remain calm.

expect

Do you expect to see her any time soon?

elect

Those electing to smoke will be seated at the rear.

fail

She failed to achieve any of her goals.

fear

Old people fear to leave their homes.

forget

She forgot to lock her door one day and two men got in.

get (be allowed to)

It's not fair that she gets to see him before the others.

go on

If you go on to do something, you do it after you have done something else.

going to

I'm going to do something, not just sit here.

guarantee

I guarantee to pay back all the money.

happen

I happen to have all the things you need.

help

It would help to be able to swim.

hesitate

He hesitated to ask for the day off.

have to

This has to be the best movie of the year.

hope

She hopes to be engaged by the end of the summer.

intend

She didn't intend to hurt you.

learn

We’re learning to communicate better.

long

Oh how he longed to hold her in his arms!

manage

Have you managed to complete your work on time for once?

make up one’s mind to

mean

I didn’t mean to hurt you.

need

You need to think before you speak.

neglect

He neglected to tell his parents about the accident.

offer

Jim offered to help me pack.

omit

She omitted to mention that she was going to Yorkshire next week.

opt

Our students can also opt to stay in residence.

ought to

I ought to pay our debts.

plan

What do you plan to do after college?

prepare

I’m preparing to run away.

prefer

I prefer to go on self-catering holidays...

pretend

Don’t pretend to sleep when I’m talking to you.

presume

He presumes to understand you.

proceed

We then proceeded to drink until we blacked out.

promise

I promise to love you forever.

propose (=intend to do)

He proposed to attend the meeting.

prove(=turn out)

Despite all the rumours his new performance proved to have a success.

refuse

She refused to sign the documents.

resolve

He has resolved never to fight again.

remember

I did remember to take the present...

regret

We regret to inform you that your position has been eliminated.

request

Students are requested to park at the rear of the Department

refuse

Brakes refused to act.

rush

Russian banks rushed to buy as many dollars as they could.

seek

Moscow is seeking to slow the growth of Russian inflation.

strive

She strove to read the name on the stone pillar...

seem

They seem to be having some sort of argument.

stop

We stopped to use the restroom and stretch.

swear

Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

tend

I tend to laugh when I’m nervous.

threaten

He threatened to shoot me if I didn’t give him my wallet.

trouble

He had never troubled himself to understand the question.

try

Mary tried to lift the table, but it was too heavy.

Purpose meaning

to do

She gave Mac Geyver her cigarettes and an earring, which he used to make a bomb.

so as (not) to do

She walked home the long way round so as not to bump into anybody.

in order (not) to do

He slouched into his seat in order to avoid drawing attention to himself.

undertake

She undertook to design the new collection.

used to

He used to meet her after school every day and see her home.

volunteer

They volunteered to paint kids’ faces at the fair.

vote

The Parliament voted more funds to help maintain American forces.

vow

We vowed to love and cherish one another.

want

Do you really want to hurt me?

wait

We can't wait to get started.

wish

Do you wish to see me cry?

would hate

I would hate to be in his shoes.

would like

The gentleman would like to accompany the lady home.

would love

I would love to dance!

would prefer

He would prefer to go bowling, but she wants to see a movie.

yearn

She yearns to go free.