infinitive clause

infinitive clause (infinitivsetning): a type of non-finite clause, with the verb in the infinitive. Infinitive clauses may or may not contain the infinitive marker to. A subject may or may not be present; the subject of an infinitive clause may be realized as a noun phrase or as a prepositional phrase with for. E.g.: I want you to understand this. They managed to solve the problem. To err is human. It would be highly unusual for Peter to admit his mistake. An infinitive clause may serve a nominal function (as in the examples above), an adjectival function (This is a drug to betaken at bedtime), or an adverbial function (Read on to find out more about how the programme works)