Dear friends I want to know what verbs called "certain verbs" in grammar rules because when I was studying some grammar rules I faced with this section ;
"The infinitive form is used after "certain verbs" :
– forget, help, learn, teach, train
– choose, expect, hope, need, offer, want, would like
– agree, encourage, pretend, promise
– allow, can/can't afford, decide, manage, mean, refuse ….
But I did not understand what "certain verbs" means.
Best Answer
In this context "certain" means a predefined subset. Usually it's used when the subset is fairly arbitrary, and to shut down discussions on how that subset is defined.
If the infinitive form was used after verbs that began with the letter "d", then the book would simply say:
But because the set of verbs where it is used is fairly arbitrary, and generally only learnt through experience, the book probably doesn't want to delve into the rules, preferring to list a few common examples, and say:
I might say "my party officially starts at 9pm, but I've invited certain friends round for dinner at 7" if I didn't want to get into the details of which people I invited to the pre-party dinner party.