- •Introduction
- •Unit I. The Gerund What is the Gerund? How to distinguish it from the Participle I and the Verbal Noun?
- •Grammatical categories of the Gerund
- •Syntactical functions of the Gerund
- •Unit II. Gerundial Constructions
- •Unit III. The Participle I
- •Grammatical categories of the Participle I
- •Syntactical functions of the Participle I
- •Unit IV. Participle II (Past Participle)
- •The Functions of the Participle II in the Sentence
- •1. Attribute.
- •2. Adverbial Modifier
- •3. Predicative
- •Parenthesis
- •Dangling or Misrelated Participle
- •Unit V. Constructions with the Participle
- •The Objective Participial Construction (opc)
- •The Subjective Participial Construction (spc)
- •The Absolute Participial Construction (apc)
- •Unit VI. Participle I or Participle II Review Exercises
- •Unit VII. The Infinitive
- •II. The morphological features of the infinitive (The forms of the infinitive)
- •The Particle “to”.
- •The use of the infinitive without the particle “to” (The bare infinitive)
- •The Syntactical Functions of the Infinitive.
- •2A. The infinitive as part of a predicative.
- •Phrasal.
- •5. The infinitive as attribute
- •The infinitive as adverbial modifier
- •The infinitive as parenthesis.
- •Revision
- •Unit VIII. Infinitive Constructions
- •The objective with the infinitive construction
- •Ways of translating the construction into Russian
- •The subjective infinitive construction
- •Revision
- •Review of Non-Finite Forms
- •Список литературы
- •153003, Г.Иваново, ул. Рабфаковская, 34.
5. The infinitive as attribute
As an attribute both the active and the passive infinitive are possible. If the subject of the sentence denotes the person who has to do the action expressed by the infinitive-attribute, the attribute is expressed by an active infinitive.
I have a friend to rely upon. – У меня есть друг, на которого я могу положиться.
Sometimes the infinitive-attribute is not translated into Russian at all.
I have a lot of work to do. – Мне надо многое сделать.
As an attribute the infinitive is more common in English than in Russian as in English it can modify:
a) both abstract and concrete nouns,
b) the noun-substitute “one”,
c) compound indefinite and universal pronouns in –body, –thing, -one,
d) ordinal numerals (especially the first),
e) substantivised adjectives next, last, much, little, little more, enough.
a) I have no desire to go there. – У меня нет желания идти туда.
The best thing to do was to leave at once. – Лучшее, что можно было сделать, – сразу уйти.
He is the one to be trusted. – Ему можно (следует) доверять.
We had nothing to lose. – Нам нечего было терять.
She is always the last to come to the lesson and the first to leave. – Она всегда приходит на занятия последней и уходит первой.
I’ve got no more (little more) to add. – Мне больше нечего добавить.
The infinitive-attribute may be expressed by a conjunctive infinitive phrase.
I have no idea who to address.
what to do.
where to go.
how to find the answer.
when to start.
whether to go there or not.
Ex.19. Underline the infinitive or the infinitive phrase used as an attribute and the word modified. Translate the sentences into Russian.
She is the right woman to marry.
Laura was the last to arrive though nobody expected her to come.
We have got no wish to support them as they are not the people to be trusted.
You’d better find somebody to walk your dog.
I’ve got so much to tell you.
It is not a question to be discussed now.
This is just the time to pay them a return visit.
Nobody wanted to be the first to speak and sound foolish.
There is something to be done before we leave.
The next thing to do is to go to the Embassy and get a visa.
His lecture leaves much to be desired.
We’ve got nothing to lose but our pride.
Ex.20. Translate the sentences into English using an infinitive or an infinitive phrase as an attribute.
У отца всегда много дел и у него совершенно нет времени помогать матери по дому.
Ничего не поделаешь. Придется все рассказать им, и мне есть, что сказать этой семье.
Когда-нибудь у тебя будут жена, дети, о которых тебе придется заботиться.
Нам дали перечень книг, которые необходимо было прочесть к экзамену.
Это не тот человек, с которым стоит иметь дело.
Самое лучшее, что можно сделать, это оставить их в покое.
Не имею понятия, куда поступать и как готовиться к экзаменам.
Его всегда спрашивают последним, и он обычно говорит то, на что надо обратить внимание.
У него есть кто-нибудь, с кем он может поделиться своими проблемами?