Verb Patterns – Infinitives (without “to”)

VERBS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE WITHOUT TO

This pattern is typical after modal verbs (e.g. can, must, should) and verbs such as let and make. It is also used after modal verbs. 

  • We must finish the financial report before the board meeting. 
  • We can’t finalize the contract by tomorrow.
  • You should review the contract carefully before signing it.
  • Let the team handle the project independently. 
  • The CEO made the employees work overtime to meet the deadline. 

Notice the object in the first two sentences with let and make.

The exact pattern here is: verb + object + infinitive without to

  • Let the team handle the project independently. 
  • The CEO made the employees work overtime to meet the deadline.