Grammar Basics: Unit 54 – I want you to… and I told you to…

When we express a desire or wish for someone to do something, we can use the phrase “I
want you to…”:
I want + you to V (inf.)
Example:
clean: I want you to clean your room this afternoon.
be: I want you to be quiet.
go: I want you to go outside and play.
leave: I don’t want you to leave.

“want” has the same meaning as “would like.” However, “would like” is more polite:
I want you to be quiet. // I would like you to be quiet.

We can have other subjects besides “I,” and we can also have someone else be the object as
well:
(Subject) want(s) + (somebody) to V (inf.)
prepare: The teacher wants us to prepare for the test next week.
pick up: John wants his brother to pick him up after school.
issue: We want the store to issue us a refund.
cut: He wants Mary to cut his hair.
teach: They want me to teach them how to bake bread.
come: I want him to come here.
help: Do you want me to help you with the dishes?

Other verbs that can be used in this pattern instead of “want”:

V + (somebody) to V (inf.)
advise: The professor advised Tom to take three semesters of physics.
ask: We are asking them to switch their appointment to Thursday.
expect: I expect my students to study diligently and work hard.
persuade: Mrs. Jones persuaded her sick husband to stay home from work.
teach: My brother taught me to whistle.

In particular, “(Subject) told (somebody) to V(inf)” can be used for commands in indirect
speech:
Mother told the children to put their toys away.
I told you to walk the dog when you got home.
Jack told Jill to fetch a pail of water.
Father told us not to touch the snake.
Note: For verbs used with “make” and “let,” we use the dictionary form of the verb, but we
do NOT use the infinitive marker “to”:
make / let (somebody) V(inf)…
The bully made Tom give him his lunch money.
(not “made Tom to give him his lunch money”)
Seeing a cute baby always makes me smile.
(not “makes me to smile”)
Mother let Jane bake chocolate chip cookies all by herself.
(not “let Jane to bake…”)
Let me eat my breakfast first before we go for a walk.
(not “Let me to eat my breakfast…”)
Our teacher never lets us chew gum in class.
(not “never lets us to chew…”)