Is there an Infinitive here?

January 7, 2020 12:09 PM

Hi. Is there an infinitive in how-to phrases, like "how to pass the exam"?
posted by noelpratt2nd to Writing & Language (10 answers total)

In the phrese "He doesn't know how to pass the exam," to pass is infinitive because to pass doesn't change when you put it in the past tense. This is ambiguous because the to could belong to either how or pass, and if it is how, the pass becomes a present participle.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:17 PM on January 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I have a headline -- How to Pass the F.E. Exam, and it's to be in AP style, which says cap infinitive 'to' in compositional titles. Should I do that here?
posted by noelpratt2nd at 12:20 PM on January 7, 2020

How isn't a verb; it's an adverb. It is one of the six classic adverbs of old-fashioned reporting: what, when, who, why, where, and how?
posted by tmdonahue at 12:21 PM on January 7, 2020

Response by poster: "Pass" is the verb. "To pass" = infinitive, right?
posted by noelpratt2nd at 12:24 PM on January 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Correct, "to pass" is an infinitive.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:46 PM on January 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

How isn't a verb; it's an adverb. It is one of the six classic adverbs of old-fashioned reporting: what, when, who, why, where, and how?

Pretty sure "who" is a pronoun.
posted by Mchelly at 5:19 PM on January 7, 2020

Forgive me; you are correct. Who is pronoun.
posted by tmdonahue at 6:11 PM on January 7, 2020

“What” is also a pronoun.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:11 PM on January 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

They're all relative pronouns. And to + <verb> is an infinitive. Always. Capitalize the To, if that's what AP says to do.
posted by ubiquity at 6:58 AM on January 8, 2020

Somewhat related: I have found this online title case converter useful in the past. I won't vouch for 100% accuracy, but it may save you some time.
posted by rjacobs at 3:22 PM on January 8, 2020