The to-infinitive after nouns related to verbs

1 Some nouns are often associated with the infinitive:
Our decision to wait was wise
Such nouns may correspond to verbs [compare > 16.13, 16.19]:

We decided to wait

A noun may have the same form as a verb or a different form: They wish to succeed It's their wish to succeed She refused to help Her refusal to help surprised us

2 Not all such nouns can be followed by an infinitive. Some are followed by a preposition + the -ing form [> 16.53]: We cannot hope to find him There's no hope of finding him Some nouns can be followed by an infinitive or by a preposition: It's a pleasure to be with you. There's nothing to compare with the pleasure of being with you

3 Some nouns combine with other infinitive forms [> 16.2], e.g. a surprise to be/to have been invited, a change to be sitting in the sun For contrasting negatives with nouns [> 16.14],

The to-infinitive after nouns related to adjectives

Many of the adjectives which can be followed by to-infinitives have equivalent nouns (usually different in form, e.g. brave/bravery)- However, not all such nouns can be followed by to-infinitives. We can use noun + to-infinitive here:

She's determined/eager/willing to help

Thank you for your determination/eagerness/willingness to help But we must use noun + preposition + -ing form here:

It was generous/kind (of you) to contribute so much

Thank you for your generosity/kindness in contributing so much

Noun/adjective equivalents do not always have the same meaning: It's fun to be here It was funny (= odd) o f Sam to do that It's a pity to leave so early Her sobs were pitiful to hear

16 The infinitive and the '-ing¹ form

16.35 Noun + to-infinitive to express advisability, etc.

The to-infinitive is often used after a noun to convey advice, purpose, etc. This construction is like a relative clause [> 1.33-34]:

The person to ask is Jan (= the person whom you should ask)

I've got an essay to write (= an essay which I must write) Sometimes active and passive infinitives are interchangeable:

After the fire, there was some re-decorating to do/to be done When the subject of the sentence is the person who is to do the action described by the infinitive, we do not normally use the passive:

/ have a meal to prepare (Not *to be prepared*)