Sorry last one. I know that the verb of the infinitive is normally preceded by the word to (but I don't know if it's the same if it's used in To be:
To be in the top, you were wealthy and well to do.
Thanks again
Yes, example.... I want to be a magician. "to be a magician" is the infinitve phrase direct object.
Thank you
In the sentence you provided, "to be" is not functioning as an infinitive verb. Instead, it is a part of the infinitive phrase "to be in the top." In this phrase, "to be" functions as a verb and "in the top" functions as the complement.
The use of the word "to" in this phrase is not related to the infinitive form of a verb. In English, "to" is often used to introduce an infinitive verb, but it also has other uses. In this case, "to" is used as a preposition to indicate the location or condition of being in the top.
To answer your question directly, when "to be" is used as an infinitive verb, it is typically preceded by the word "to." For example: "I want to be a doctor." In this sentence, "to be" is functioning as an infinitive verb with "to" serving as a marker.