1 reactions and feelings: pleased to see you
Infinitives are often used after adjectives describing reactions and feelings. I’m pleased to see you.
John was surprised to get Ann’s letter.
She’s anxious to go home.
We’re happy to be here.
I was shocked to see how ill he was.
Most people are afraid to hear the truth about themselves.
Not all adjectives of this kind are followed by infinitives. Some are followed by preposition + -ing form (see -ing forms 5: after nouns and adjectives, or by ///«/-clauses see adjectives 8: what can follow an adjective?. Some adjectives e.g. afraid, sure can be followed by either an infinitive or an -ing form, often with a difference of meaning: for details, see -ing forms 7: remember, go on etc + -ing or infinitive.
For structures with for (e.g. She’s anxious for the children to go home), see infinitives 13: for … to …-293.
2 other adjectives: certain to win
Besides adjectives referring to reactions and feelings, many other adjectives can be followed by infinitives. Examples: right, wrong, stupid, certain (see -ing forms 7: remember, go on etc + -ing or infinitive.15, welcome, careful, due, fit, able see be able, likely see likely), lucky.
We were right to start early. Be careful not to wake the children.
I was stupid to believe him. It’s very likely to rain.
She’s certain to win. You were lucky not to be killed.
You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.
For structures with preparatory it (e.g. It is important to get enough sleep), see preparatory it 1: subject.
3 superlatives etc: the oldest athlete to win …
Superlatives can be followed by an infinitive structure. The meaning is similar to an identifying relative clause (see relatives 2:).
He’s the oldest athlete ever to win an Olympic gold medal.
(= … who has ever won …) ?
This structure is also common with first, second, third etc, next, last and only. Who was the first person to climb Everest without oxygen?
The next to arrive was Mrs Patterson.
She’s the only scientist to have won three Nobel prizes.
This structure is only possible when the noun with the superlative has a subject relationship with the infinitive.
Is this the first time that you have stayed here?
(NOT … the first time for you to stay here: Time is not the subject of stay.)
4 easy to please
Some adjectives can be used with infinitives in a special structure, in which the subject of the clause is really the object of the infinitive. Examples are easy, hard, difficult, impossible, good, ready, and adjectives after enough and too. He’s easy to please.
(= To please him is easy. OR It is easy to please him.)
Japanese is difficult for Europeans to learn.
(= It is difficult for Europeans to learn Japanese.)
His theoiy is impossible to understand.
(= It is impossible to understand his theory.)
Are these berries good to eat? The apples were ripe enough to pick.
The letters are ready to sign. The box was too heavy to lift.
The structure often ends with a preposition (see prepositions 5: at the ends of clauses).
She’s nice to talk to. He’s very easy to get on with.
It’s not a bad place to live in.
There is no object pronoun after the infinitive or preposition in these cases. Cricket is not very interesting to watch, (NOT Cricket is not very interesting to watcbr-it.)
She’s nice to talk to. (NOT She’s nice to talk to her.)
When the adjective is before a noun, the infinitive is usually after the noun.
It’s a good wine to keep, (NOT Ife a-good to keep wine.)
Easy, difficult
and impossible cannot be used in this structure when the subject of the clause is the subject of the following verb.
She has difficulty learning maths, (NOT She is difficult-to-learn maths.)
Iron rusts easily, (NOT Imn-is-easy to rust.)
This material can’t possibly catch fire, (NOT This materialris-imp&ssible to catch fire.)
For more about enough!too + adjective + infinitive, see enough, see too.
For so + adjective + infinitive (e.g. Would you be so kind as to help me?), see so degree adverb: so tired, so fast.8.
For information about the structures that are possible with a particular adjective, see a good dictionary.
For more information consult a good dictionary like Langman, Oxford, Merriam Webster, or Collins.