+Hints for Oral Instruction+.—There is another form of the verb which, like the participle, cannot be the predicate of a sentence, for it cannot assert; as, She went out to see a friend; To lie is a disgrace. As this form of the verb expresses the action, being, or state in a general manner, without limiting it directly to a subject, it is called an +Infinitive+, which means without limit. The infinitive generally follows to; as, to walk, to sleep.

Let each pupil give an infinitive.

The infinitive and the preposition to constitute a phrase, which may be employed in several ways.

+T+.—I have a duty to perform. The infinitive phrase modifies what?

+P+.—The noun duty. +T+.—It then performs the office of what? +P+.—Of an adjective modifier.

+T+.—I come to hear. The infinitive phrase modifies what? +P+.—The verb come. +T+.—What office then does it perform? +P+.—Of an adverb modifier.

+T+.—To lie is base. What is base? +P+.—To lie. +T+.—He attempted to speak. What did he attempt? +P+.—To speak. +T+.—To lie is a subject, and to speak is an object. What part of speech is used as subject and object? +P+.—The noun.

+T+.—The +Infinitive+ phrase is used as an +adjective+, an +adverb+, and a +noun+.

Infinitives may be completed by objects and attributes.

+Analysis and Parsing+.

+Model+.—David hasted to meet Goliath.

David " hasted
=========="===========
" \to
\ meet " Goliath
\————————

+Analysis of the Infinitive Phrase+.—To introduces the phrase; meet, completed by the object Goliath, is the principal part.

+Parsing of the Phrase+.—To is a preposition, because ——; meet is a verb, because ——; Goliath is a noun, because ——.

1. I come not here to talk. 2. I rejoice to hear it. 3. A desire to excel leads to eminence. 4. Dr. Franklin was sent to France to solicit aid for the colonies. 5. To retreat was impossible.

(To is here used merely to introduce the infinitive phrase.)

\to
\ retreat
\————-
"
"
/ \ " was \ impossible
=========="======================
"

+Explanation of the Diagram+.—As this phrase subject cannot, in its proper form, be written on the subject line, it is placed above, and, by means of a support, the phrase diagram is made to rest on the subject line. The phrase complement may be diagramed in a similar way, and made to rest on the complement line.

6. The hands refuse to labor. 7. To live is not all of life. 8. The Puritans desired to obtain religious freedom. 9. The Romans, having conquered the world, were unable to conquer themselves. 10. Narvaez sailed from Cuba to conquer Florida. 11. Some savages of America and Africa love to wear rings in the nose. 12. Andrew Jackson, elected to succeed J. Q. Adams, was inaugurated in 1829.