The infinitive consists of to plus a verb: to read, to write, to "talk story".

• It is a half verb.

An infinitive phrase that stands alone creates a fragment.

Example:

Islanders to "talk story" about some of their favorite pastimes.

An infinitive phrase will not be a fragment if a helping verb is added to it.

Example:

When he started to eat a mango and some of the ripe fruit splatted onto the sleeve of his shirt, the writer, Tom Stevens, started to think about the best way to eat one.

An infinitive phrase will not be a fragment if it is added onto a main clause.

Example:

To eat a mango properly, you should be standing in the shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean.

An infinitive can serve as an adjective or noun modifier.

Example:

Mangos to die for grow bountifully in the summer with its sundrenched days.

An infinitive or an infinitive phrase can also act as a subject.

• In the following sentence, it is the subject of the main clause.

  Example:

  To see the colors of sunset on the skin of an unpeeled mango can be done in Lahaina because of the extra sunsets you get on the west side of the island according to Tom.