Page 130 - Basic English Usage

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After noun
We can use infinitives after some nouns.
| have no wish to change.
| told her about my decision to leave.
The infinitive often explains the purpose of something: what it will do, or
what somebody will do with it.
Have you got a key to open this door?
need some more work to do.

For information about the structures that are possible with any verb, adjective or
noun, look in a good dictionary.
For the ‘infinitive of purpose’, see 178.
For infinitives after who, what, howetc, see 177.
For to used instead of the whole infinitive, see 108.5.
For the use of the infinitive without fo, see 179.

177 infinitive after who, what, how etc
In reported speech (see 282; 284), we can use an infinitive after the
question-words who, what, where etc (but not why) to talk about
questions and the answers to questions.

verb + question-word + infinitive |

! wonder who to invite.
Show me what to do.
Can you tell me how to get to the station?
| don't know where to put the car.
Tell me when to pay.
| can’t decide whether to answer her letter.

We cannot begin a direct question with Howto ... ?, Whatto ... ? etc.
We often use shai! or should.
How shall | tell her? (NOT Hewte-tetther?)
What shall we do? (NOT Whatte-de?)
Who should | pay? (NOT Whe-te-pay?)
+
For questions beginning | Why (not) infinitive |, see 179.3.

178 infinitive of purpose

We often use an infinitive to talk about a person’s purpose — why he or
she does something.
| sat down for a minute to rest.
He went abroad to forget.
I’m going to Austria to learn German.