Identify the underlined verbal or verbal phrase as a gerund, a participle, or an infinitive.

The number of pygmy hippopotamuses in the wild has started to decline. With the underlined part being "to decline"

1 answer

The underlined phrase "to decline" is an infinitive. An infinitive is the base form of a verb, often preceded by "to." In this case, "to decline" functions as a noun, representing the action of declining.