Question

Combine the following sentence by using an infinitive:
John came early to school. He attended the extra class.
a) John came early to school so he attended the extra class.
b) John came early to school but attended the extra class.
c) John came early to school and attended the extra class.
d) John came early to school to attend the extra class.

Answer 1

Hint: Infinitives are constructed by using the word ‘to’ with another root verb. In this case, the infinitive should be used to fuse the two sentences together, but eliminate the second subject.

Complete answer:
An infinitive is the basic form of a verb, without an inflection binding it to a particular subject or tense. It is a form of the non-finite verb, which means that it does not change even if there is a tense change.
It is as if the verb phrase puts on the costume of a noun, adjective or adverb and plays the role of a part of speech other than itself. Any root verb that is preceded by the word 'to' is an infinitive. Here are some examples: 'to love, to eat, to run, to believe, to follow, to laugh, to stare, to wonder.

Look at the given sentences: In the given sentences, we understand that there were two events that took place, and we have to correlate them with an infinitive. So, let us try to understand the relation between the events. John came early to school. Was there any reason? The question of ‘why’ is answered by the next sentence. So, he came to school early because he wanted to attend the extra class.

Now, let’s look at the available options:

a) John came early to school so he attended the extra class - In this sentence, there is no mention of the word ‘to’. However, the conjunction ‘so’ was used. This changes the meaning of the sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) John came early to school but attended the extra class - In this sentence, there is no mention of the word ‘to’. However, the conjunction ‘but’ was used. This changes the meaning of the sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) John came early to school and attended the extra class - In this sentence, there is no mention of the word ‘to’. However, the conjunction ‘and’ was used. This changes the meaning of the sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) John came early to school to attend the extra class - In this sentence, there is an infinitive that is easily recognizable i.e. ‘to attend’. This does not change the meaning of the sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:
Try to identify what infinitives are exactly. Then, look at the sentences and understand their meaning. Then, go through the given options and look for any mentioned infinitives and choose the most appropriate option.