In modern English, the infinitive – as one of the principal non-finite verb forms – and its associated constructions occupy a distinct position owing to their diverse lexical-semantic features, stylistic variability, and broad functional potential. The infinitive designates an action abstractly, without marking person, number, tense, or morphological inflection. In contemporary usage, it may occur either with the particle to or in the bare form, each variant contributing differently to syntactic structure and communicative nuance. Infinitives in English exhibit a hybrid nature, displaying characteristics of both nouns and verbs. They possess aspectual, temporal, and voice distinctions, which enhance their expressive and structural capacity within the language. Their participation in various sentence functions depends on whether they appear in simple or complex configurations. Moreover, some linguists identify an independent type of infinitival construction which, through transformational analysis, may correspond to subordinate clauses. This adaptability highlights the significant role of infinitive constructions in shaping textual cohesion and contributing to the overall structural organization of modern English discourse. Keywords: infinitive constructions, pronoun, preposition, compound predicate, comparison of languages

a gerund A gerund may function syntactically as the head of a verb phrase: for instance, the gerund of a transitive verb may take a direct object in In linguistics, a gerund ( abbreviated ger) is any of various nonfinite verb forms in various languages; most often, but not exclusively, it is one that functions as a noun. The name is derived from Late Latin gerundium, meaning "which is to be carried out". In English, the gerund has the properties of both verb and noun, such as being modifiable by an adverb and being able to take a direct object The Latin gerund, in a restricted set of syntactic contexts, denotes the sense of the verb in isolation after certain prepositions, and in certain uses of the genitive, dative, and ablative cases. It is very rarely combined with a dependent sentence element such as an object. To express such concepts, the construction with the adjectival gerundive is preferred. By contrast, the term gerund has been used in the grammatical description of other languages to label verbal nouns used in a wide range of syntactic contexts and with a full range of clause elements. Thus, English grammar uses gerund to mean an -ing form used in non-finite clauses such as playing on computers. This is not a normal use for a Latin gerund. Moreover, the clause may function within a sentence as subject or object, which is impossible for a Latin gerund. In linguistics, a gerund ( abbreviated ger) is any of various nonfinite verb forms in various languages; most often, but not exclusively, it is one that functions as a noun. The name is derived from Late Latin gerundium, meaning "which is to be carried out". In English, the gerund has the properties of both verb and noun, such as being modifiable by an adverb and being able to take a direct object. The term "-ing form" is often used in English to refer to the gerund specifically. Traditional grammar makes a distinction within -ing forms between present participles and gerunds, a distinction that is not observed in such modern grammars as A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language and The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. The Latin gerund, in a restricted set of syntactic contexts, denotes the sense of the verb in isolation after certain prepositions, and in certain uses of the genitive, dative, and ablative cases. It is very rarely combined with a dependent sentence element such as an object. To express such concepts, the construction with the adjectival gerundive is preferred. By contrast, the term gerund has been used in the grammatical description of other languages to label verbal nouns used in a wide range of syntactic contexts and with a full range of clause elements. Thus, English grammar uses gerund to mean an -ing form used in non-finite clauses such as playing on computers. This is not a normal use for a Latin gerund. Moreover, the clause may function within a sentence as subject or object, which is impossible for a Latin gerund. Playing on computers is fun. (-ing clause as subject) I like playing on computers (-ing clause as object) The contrast with the Latin gerund is also clear when the clause consists of a single word. Computing is fun. ("gerund" as subject) I like computing ("gerund" as object) Latin never uses the gerund in this way, but instead uses the infinitive. Traditional English grammar distinguishes non-finite clauses used as above from adverbial use, adjective-like modification of nouns, and use in finite progressive (continuous) forms These functions could be fulfilled by other abstract nouns derived from verbs such as vēnātiō 'hunting'. Gerunds are distinct in two ways. Every Latin verb can regularly form a gerund A gerund may function syntactically as the head of a verb phrase: for instance, the gerund of a transitive verb may take a direct object in the accusative case, e.g., ad discernendum vocis verbi figuras 'for discerning figures of speech', hominem investigando opera dabo 'I will devote effort to investigating the man'. However, this was a rare construction. Writers generally preferred the gerundive construction, in which the gerundive adjective was inflected to agree with the noun acting as its object: such as res evertendae reipublicae 'matters concerning the overthrow of the state' (literally 'of the state being overthrown'). When people first wrote grammars of languages such as English, and based them on works of Latin grammar, they adopted the term gerund to label non-finite verb forms with these two properties. Old English to berenne (to bear) dative of beran Old High German zi beranne dative of beran Old Saxon berannia dative of beran Old Frisian beranne The modern continental successor languages German and Dutch have preserved a few vestiges of these forms, which are sometimes termed gerundium. Frisian preserves the original distinction, e.g., West Frisian freegje Swimming is fun. (gerund as subject of the sentence) I like swimming. (gerund as direct object) I never gave swimming all that much effort. (gerund as indirect object) Swimming in the pool is one way to relax. (gerund phrase as subject) Do you fancy swimming in the pool? (gerund phrase as direct object) After swimming in the pool, he ate his lunch. (gerund phrase as the complement of a preposition) Using gerunds of the appropriate auxiliary verbs, one can form gerund clauses that express perfect aspect and passive voice: I saw the cat licking the cream. The sense of the cat as notional subject of licking is disregarded. Rather they see the cat as exclusively the object of I saw. The modifying phrase licking the cream is therefore described as a participle use. Henry Fowler claims that the use of a non-possessive noun to precede a gerund arose from confusing the above usage with a participle, and should thus be called fused participle or geriple. It has been argued that if the prescriptive rule is followed, the difference between the two forms may be used to make a slight distinction in meaning:

When discussing the classification of words into parts of speech, some scholars identify certain lexical-grammatical classes that occupy an intermediate position. One of these is the category of verbal nouns (non-finite forms of a verb), to which the infinitive belongs.The aim of this article is to demonstrate the verbal and nominal morphological and syntactic features of the infinitive that justify its classification as a verbal noun (non-finite form of a verb). Based on this objective, both the verbal and nominal features of the infinitive have been examined. The analysis shows that from a morphological perspective, only verbal categories—aspect, voice, and tense (relative tense) —are expressed, while it lacks of nominal morphological categories in English. This leads to the question why the infinitive is considered as a verbal noun (non-finite form of a verb) if it lacks nominal morphological features. The answer lies in its syntactic functions in a sentence. Depending on its function in a sentence, the infinitive may be used as a subject, attribute, object, simple or compound predicate, predicative complement, adverbial modifier of purpose and as part of a complex object construction.Theoretical and practical values: The article has both theoretical and practical value. It will contribute to further research on the non-finite forms of the verb. From a practical point of view, the article can be used as supplementary material and as one of the theoretical sources. At the same time, it will help in overcoming challenges related to the use of the infinitive in its various syntactic functions within a sentence. Research methodology: The research is mainly based on some linguistic research methods: comparative-historical, descriptive and qualitative The sentences from the works of Harper L. and Wilde O. are used for analysis. Key words: morphological and syntactic features, non-finite form of a verb, a full infinitive, a bare infinitive. ULUSLARARASI BİLİMSEL DERGİ ISSN: 1308-6200 • E-ISSN: 3062-4126 • https://dergikaradeniz.com 2026 • No. 70 • pp. 27-35 • Research Article https://doi.org/10.17498/kdeniz.1934183 Received: Apr 20, 2026 • Accepted: June 13, 2026 • Published: June 26, 2026 27 Some Morphological and Syntactic Features of the Infinitive in English İngilizcede Mastarın Morfolojik ve Sözdizimsel Özellikler Üzerine Bir İnceleme Tamar Gelashvili1 1 Assist.Prof. Dr., Samtskhe-Javakheti State University, gelashvili.tamuna11@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0009-0009- 2069-7371 Abstract The infinitive is generally classified as a non -finite verb form that exhibits both verbal and nominal characteristics, placing it in an intermediate position between verbs and nouns. This study aims to examine the morphological and syntactic features of t he English infinitive and to explain why it is considered a verbal noun despite the absence of nominal morphological categories. The research employs descriptive, comparative -historical, and qualitative linguistic methods. Examples drawn from the works of Oscar Wilde and Harper Lee are analyzed to identify the grammatical properties and syntactic functions of infinitival constructions. The findings indicate that, from a morphological perspective, the infinitive expresses only verbal categories, including as pect, voice, and relative tense, while lacking nominal categories such as number and case. However, its nominal character becomes evident through its syntactic behavior. The infinitive can function as a subject, object, attribute, predicative complement, a dverbial modifier of purpose, component of a compound predicate, and element of complex object constructions. These findings demonstrate that the classification of the infinitive as a verbal noun is primarily justified by its syntactic functions rather tha n by its morphological properties. The study contributes to a better understanding of the dual nature of the infinitive and provides theoretical and pedagogical insights for the study and teaching of English grammar. Key words: infinitive, non-finite verb form, morphology, syntax, verbal noun, English grammar 32 Morphological categories Noun Infinitive Number + - Case + - Table 2 Verb and Infinitive Morphological categories Verb Infinitive person + - number + - aspect + + mood + - voice + + tense + + (relative tense) The Syntactic Features of the Infinitive Research has shown that, although the infinitive carries characteristics typical of a verb from morphological perspectives, from a syntactic point of view it fully exhibits features characteristic of a noun. The infinitive as the subject in a sentence When the infinitive is used as the subject, it usually occupies the initial position in a declarative sentence. “To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace — all these seemed impossible” (Wilde 1979: 61). “To have made the same mistake twice was unforgivable” (Wilde 1979: 45). As it is frequently indicated in the English language textbooks, we often meet sentences containing introductory “it” in the beginning position of a sentence, which is followed by the predicate, and then by the subject expressed by an infinitive. “It is very wrong to kill anyone” (Wilde 1979: 59). “It is very difficult sometimes to keep awake” (Wilde 1979: 61). The infinitive in the function of an object Unlike its function as a subject, the use of the infinitive as an object is associated with considerably greater complexity. In such cases, it is essential to know exactly which verbs or verbal constructions require which type of non -finite verb forms. In English, there is a clear distinction between groups of verbs that are followed by the infinitive. Table 3 Verbs and verbal constructions followed by the infinitive afford consent intend promise agree decide know how refuse 33 aim decline learn require appear demand like seem arrange deserve manage struggle ask do not care mean tend attempt