[Grammar] When should we use "to" between two verbs?

[nhatruc30]

Dear all.

I am confused by a sentence in the following letter (please see a bellow picture). In this letter has two verbs that are verbs "ask and is". Why didn't writer put "to" between them.

And by the way, I ask myself when we use "to" or don't use "to" between two verbs.
Here is an example from the Longman dictionary. What I want to know is when we're going to get paid.
Is this sentence wrong in grammar if I remove the preposition "to"?

If somebody knows, please explain it to me. I would highly appreciate your help

Your sincerely

truc

 

[BobK]

I've rewritten it on the right:

Another question I'd like to ask_______________________What I want to ask

___________________________________is

whether or not you can cook...____.___________________[this:] can you....?


An extra 'to' wouldn't make sense.

b

 

[iKitty]

There are actually three verbs together at the beginning of both the sentences.

So: What I WANT (verb) TO KNOW (verb, infinitive) IS (verb).

I think you're confusing the word 'to' as a preposition, and its use in the infinitive form of a verb.

In the sentence above, 'to' is not there as a preposition on its own (as in 'I am going TO the park,'). It is there because 'to know' is an infinitive of a verb.

The final verb in the sentence is 'is' . This is not an infinitive form, therefore it does not have a 'to' with it.

So, to review: in this sentence, we are not putting a preposition between two verbs. We are using the infinitive form of one of the verbs, as in 'to write', 'to speak', 'to know', etc.

Hope that helps! I'm not a teacher, so I may not have explained things very well. :roll:

 

[5jj]

iKitty's answer is correct in that a to- infinitive can be used after want (as it is in the sentence discussed), and that is is not an infinitive form. Is is actually the main verb in that sentence, the subject of which is What I want to know.

However, the bare infinitive (i.e. the base form of the verb without to) is frequently used in English:

You must know the answer
I don't know the answer.
Let me know as soon as possible.

 

[catalian]

To "between" verbs is used in the text for the following reasons:

There are certain verb forms that require the following verb to be in the infinitive form:

-We are going to visit my grandmother
after be going to + infinitive

- Infinitive of purpose "I went to visit my uncle" It often answers "why" we do something
​

"whether" is not a verb and effectively has a similar function in the sentence, it links one phrase to another. You could not put "to" in front of "whether"