Verbal Predicate

The money borrowed in the bank provides basic finance.

The idea of promoting Mr Smith belonged to the manager.

The above sentences are formally simple as they have only one finite verb (Predicate), but logically there are two ideas that are joined in one sentence, e.g.

The money borrowed in the bank provides basic finance.

The money was borrowed in the bank. The money provides basic finance

There are four Verbals in the English language: the Infinitive, the Gerund, Participle I and Participle II, two of which – the Gerund and Participle I – coincide in the form:

The Infinitive	The Gerund	Participle I	Participle II
to do	doing	doing	done
to check	checking	checking	checked

The Verbals also have voice and aspect distinctions and they fulfil different functions, consistent with different parts of speech such as the noun, the adjective, and the adverb which we shall be dealing with later and separately for each Verbal.

Unit 2 THE INFINITIVE

§ 1 General Information

The Infinitive is the base form of the verb and thus it has some features of the verb: aspect and voice distinctions (to play, to be playing, to have played, to have been playing, to be played). (see § 3)

A t the same time the Infinitive has nominal character which is revealed in its functions (a Subject, Predicative, Object, etc.) as you will see later in § 4.

§ 2 The Use of Particle to with the Infinitive

The Infinitive is usually used with the particle to:

They decided to get married.

She failed to attract his attention.

I promised not to be late.

The structure Verb + to-Infinitive is consistent with the verbs in the box:

offer, ask, hope, decide, learn, manage, tell, promise, invite, attempt, plan, forget, fail, order, threaten, agree, aim, arrange, deserve, remind, refuse, want, urge, like, instruct, would like, expect, intend, force

Yet the Infinitive can be used without the particle to and is called the bare Infinitive:

Ann must be late

Why not solve this problem?

So the Infinitive is divided into two types: to-Infinitive and bare Infinitive.

The bare Infinitive is used:

1) after modal verbs (except 'ought to’):

She can’t go now.

We might go to the cinema.

2) after the verbs let, have/make (in the meaning of 'compel'):

The teacher didn’t let the boys leave.

She made them stay in after school.

I had them take my luggage.

3) after the verbs of sense perception: see, hear, feel, know (in the meaning of 'see', 'observe'):

I never saw you look so before.

I felt my heart jump.

I have often known a change of medicine work wonders.

N ote: after the verbs hear, see, make, know in the Passive Voice the to-Infinitive is used.

He was made to work twenty hours a day.

They were seen to leave the house early.

4) after the expressions: had better, would rather, would sooner, cannot but, nothing but, why not:

I would rather not speak on the subject.

I cannot but think so.

You had better go to bed now.