Page 289 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

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All I did was (to) give him a little push.
What a fire-door does is (to) delay the spread ofa fire.
infinitives (4): after verbs
Mer many non-auxiliary verbs, we can use the infinitives of other verbs.
It's beginning to rain.
I don't want to see you again.
She seems to be crying.
I expect to have finished by tomorrow evening. The car needs to be cleaned.
3
4
In passive versions of these structures (with make, see, hear, help and know) the infinitive with to is used.
He was made to pay back the money. She was heard to say that she disagreed.
For more information about structures with let. see 322. For make. see 335. For more information about _ , hear, watch etc + object + verb. see 242. For verbs that are followed by object + to-Infinitive, see 283.
after why (not)
We can introduce questions and suggestions with why (not) + infinitive without to. For more details, see 628.
Why pay more at other shops? We have the lowest prices.
Why stand up ifyou can sit down? Why sit down ifyou can lie down? You're looking tired. Why not take a holiday?
after and. or. except. but. than. as and like
When two infinitive structures are joined by and, or, except, but, than, as or like, the second is often without to.
I'd like to lie down and go to sleep.
Do you want to have lunch now or wait till later?
We had nothing to do except look at the cinema posters.
I'm ready to do anything but work on a farm.
It's easier to do it yourself than explain to somebody else how to do it. It's as easy to smile as frown.
I have to feed the animals as well as look after the children.
Why don't you do something useful like clean the flat?
Rather than is usually followed by an infinitive without to. Rather than wait any more, I decided to go home by taxi.
after do
Expressions like All I did was, What I do is etc can be followed by an infinitive without to.
infinitives (4): after verbs 282
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