Which word functions as the infinitive marker in phrases like 'to be'?

Which word functions as the infinitive marker in phrases like 'to be'?

• A. To
• B. Too
• C. There
• D. Their

Answer: (A)

The infinitive marker is the word that signals a verb is in its infinitive form, and in phrases like “to be,” that marker is to. It sits before the base verb to form the infinitive, as in to eat, to run, to think. This usage is distinct from how the same word can function in other roles in different contexts (for example, too meaning also or excessively, there indicating location or used as a pronoun, and their showing possession). So the word that marks the infinitive in “to be” is to.

The infinitive marker is the word that signals a verb is in its infinitive form, and in phrases like “to be,” that marker is to. It sits before the base verb to form the infinitive, as in to eat, to run, to think. This usage is distinct from how the same word can function in other roles in different contexts (for example, too meaning also or excessively, there indicating location or used as a pronoun, and their showing possession). So the word that marks the infinitive in “to be” is to.