Present Simple, Infinitive, Base Form

(TESOL Worksheets--Teacher Training, Present Simple, Infinitives, Verb Forms, General Verb Tenses)
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[Note: I designed this during my time in teacher training for new teachers who were confused about what the difference was between present simple, infinitive, and the base form of the verb.  This could also be student facing, however.]

Present Simple, Infinitive, Base Form

I want to make him cry.

want= present simple

to make= infinitive

cry= base form

The infinitive, the present simple, and the base form can all look alike.  So why do we give them different names?

The main reason is that the base form and the infinitive are not affected by changes in time or subject.  But the present simple is.

For example, the 3rd person singular “s” only attaches itself to the present simple, not the infinitive or base form.

I want to make him cry.

He wants to make him cry.

The present tense can also change into the future or the past if the time reference changes.  But the infinitive and the base form are “outside of time”.  (Hence the name infinitive---outside of finite time.)

I want to make him cry.

I wanted to make him cry.

I have wanted to make him cry.

I will want to make him cry.

etc.

Infinitives. A tale of inconsistent terminology.

Unfortunately, the definition of infinitive is not always the same between different textbooks.  This leads to confusion for both teachers and students alike.

Traditional definition	...but in other textbooks	...and in other textbooks
Infinitive= to +base form I want to make him cry. want= present simple to make= infinitive cry= base form	infinitive is the same as base form I want to make him cry. want= present simple to make= to + infinitive cry= infinitive	There is a “full infinitive” and a “bare infinitive” I want to make him cry. want= present simple to make= full infinitive cry= bare infinitive

Some textbooks also don’t distinguish between present simple, base form and infinitive, and call all 3 forms by the same name.

When you’re using a textbook, check to see how they define the infinitive.  Don’t be confused if the terminology is slightly different than the textbook you were using before.