Infinitive constructions

In English there are the following predicative constructions with the infinitive:

1) the Objective-with-the-lnfinitive Construction;

2) the Subjective Infinitive Construction;

3) the for-to-Infinitive Construction.

The Objective-with-the-lnfinitive Construction

The Objective-with-the-lnfinitive Construction is a construction in which the infinitive is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the objective case. In the sentence this construction has the function of a complex object.

I've never seen him lose his tem­per or get angry about anything.

The Objective-with-the-lnfinitive Construction is used:

1. after verbs denoting sense perception: to hear, to see, to watch, to feel, to observe, to notice, etc.

I heard him lock the door.

After verbs of sense perception only the Indefinite Infinitive Active is used. If the meaning is passive Participle II is used.

I saw the fire slowly conquered.

If a process is expressed Participle I Indefinite Active is used.

He saw Fleur coming.

The verb to see is followed by a clause and not by the Objective-with-the-Infinitive Construction when it is not really a verb of sense perception, i. e. when it means 'to understand'.

I saw that he did not realize the danger.

After the verbs to see and to notice the Objective-with-the-Infinitive Construction is not used with the verb to be; a subordinate clause is used in such cases.

I saw that he was pale.

When the verb to hear is not a verb of sense perception, i. e. when it means 'to learn', 'to be told', a clause or a gerund (and not the Objective-with-the-Infinitive) is used.

I hear that he left for the South (of his having left for the South).

2. after verbs denoting mental activity: to know, to think, to con­sider, to believe, to suppose, to expect, to imagine, to find, to feel, to trust, etc.

She hates him to be bothered.

He believes it to have been a mistake.

After verbs of mental activity the Perfect Infinitive is used but seldom.

The doctor found his heart to have stopped two hours before.

With the verbs to think, to consider, to find the same idea can be expressed without an infinitive.

He thought her beautiful.

She found the subject rather interesting.

You consider yourself an honest person.

3. after verbs of declaring: announce, declare, pronounce, report.

They reported the enemy to be seven miles away.

4. after verbs denoting wish and intention: to want, to wish, to desire, to mean, to intend, to choose (in the meaning of 'want').

I want you to come and dine with me.

I wished those books to be returned to-night.

5. after verbs and expressions denoting feeling and emotion: like, dislike, love, hate, cannot bear, etc.

I dislike you to talk like that.

6. after verbs denoting wish and intention: desire, intend, mean, want, wish, etc.

I want you to come along with us.

7. after verbs denoting order, compulsion and permission: allow, cause, have, get, make, order, suffer, etc.

The noise caused her to awake.

What made you believe it?

Here we find the Objective with the Infinitive only if the object is expressed by a noun or pronoun denoting a lifeless thing or when the infinitive is passive. This restriction does not apply to the verbs to suffer and to have.

Mr. Merdle ordered his carriage to be ready early in the morn­ing.

The verb to suffer, when fol­lowed by the Objective with the Infinitive, is rendered in affir­mative sentences by allow unwillingly. In negative sentences it is rendered by allow. The verb to have denotes permission only in negative sentences; it is very close in meaning to the verb to suffer and is translated in the same way.

If the object is expressed by a noun or pronoun denoting a living being and the infinitive is active we find two direct objects.

He ordered him to perfect his plan.

The Subjective Infinitive Construction

The Subjective Infinitive Construction is a construction in which the infinitive is in predicate relation to a noun in the com­mon case or a pronoun in the nominative case. The peculiarity of this construction is that it does not serve one part of the sentence: one of its component parts has the function of the subject, the other forms part of a compound verbal predicate.

She is said to resemble her mother.

The Subjective Infinitive Construction is used with the following groups of verbs in the Passive Voice:

1. with verbs denoting sense perception: to hear, to see, to watch, to feel, to observe, to notice, etc.

He was seen to cross the street.

If a process is expressed Participle I Indefinite Active is used.

Their father was heard approaching at that moment.

2. with verbs denoting mental activity: to think, to consider, to know, to expect, to believe, to suppose.

He was thought to be honest and kindly.

3. with verbs denoting order, request, permission.

He was made to repeat the rule.

4. with the verbs to say and to report.

He is said to be a person of a weak character.

5. with the word-groups to be likely, to be sure, and to be certain.

He parish is not likely to quarrel with her.

6. with the follow­ing pairs of synonyms: to seem and to appear; to happen and to chance; to prove and to turn out.

They seemed to have quite forgotten him already.

The for-tо-Infinitive Construction.

The for-to-Infinitive Construction is a construction in which the infinitive is in predicate relation to a noun or pronoun preceded by the preposition for. The construction can have the following functions in the sentence:

1. the subject

It’s natural for him to help his friends.

2. the predicative

The question is for you to decide.

3. an object

Не asked for the papers to be brought.

4. an attribute

This is the book for you to read.

5. an adverbial modifier

He made a remark in a voice too low for me to catch.

THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

The Subjunctive Mood represents an action not as a real fact but as something that would take place under certain conditions, something desirable, necessary or unreal, unrealizable.

There are four forms of the Subjunctive Mood in English: the Conditional Mood, the Suppositional Mood, Subjunctive I and Subjunctive II.

The Conditional Mood

The Conditional Mood has two tenses: the present and the past. The Present Conditional is formed by means of the auxiliary verbs should and would and the Indefinite Infinitive of the main verb without the particle to. It expresses an action which would take place under certain conditions in the present or future.

І (we) should/would work. He (she, it you, they) would work.

І should call on him but I have very little time.

The Past Conditional is formed by means of the aux­iliary verbs should and would and the Perfect Infinitive of the main verb. It is used to express an action which would have taken place under certain conditions in the past.

І (we) should/would have worked. He (she, it, you, they) would have worked.

She would have bought a watch but the shop was closed.

The Conditional Mood is used in simple, compound and complex sentences to represent an action as unreal which would take (have taken) place under certain conditions expressed or implied.

But for the late hour they would stay here longer.

It's a pity I have no time. We would play chess.

Subjunctive I coincides in form with the infinitive without the particle to.

І (he, she, it, we, you, they) go, be, have

It has no tense distinc­tions — the same form may refer to the present, past and future. Не demands (demanded, will demand) that we be attentive.

The Suppositional Mood

The Suppositional Mood is formed by means of the auxiliary verb should and the infinitive of the main verb without the particle to. The Suppositional Mood has two tenses: the present and the past.

The Present Suppositional is formed by means of the auxiliary verb should and the indefinite infinitive of the main verb. І (he, she, it, we, you, they) should work.

The Past Suppositional is formed by means of the auxiliary verb should and the perfect infinitive of the main verb. І (he, she, it, we, you, they) should have gone.

Both the Suppositional Mood and Subjunctive I are used to represent an action not as a real fact but as something necessary, important, ordered, suggested, etc. and not contrary to reality.

But the Suppositional Mood is much more widely used than Subjunctive I in British English where Subjunctive I is used only in of­ficial documents, in scientific and technical texts and in poetry. In American English Subjunctive I is used in lit­erary language in general.

The Suppositional Mood and Subjunctive I are used:

a) in subordinate clauses after the expressions: it is necessary, it is important, it is ordered, etc.;

It is necessary that he should go there at once.

It is necessary that the place be clean.

b) in object clauses after verbs denoting order, re­quest, suggestion etc.;

He only demanded that the man should leave the country at once.

Toward evening he looked so badly that she suggested that he go to bed.

c) in subordinate clauses introduced by lest;

She closed the window lest the children should catch cold.

The Suppositional Mood is used in conditional clauses if the fulfilment of the condition is unlikely.

If you should meet her somewhere, you might travel with her.

Subjunctive II.

Subjunctive II has two tenses: the pres­ent and the past. The Present Subjunctive II coincides in form with the Past Indefinite Indicative. The only exception is the verb to be the Present Subjunctive II оf which has the form were both in the plural and in the singular. І (he, she, it, we, you, they) were.

The Past Subjunctive II coincides in form with the Past Perfect Indicative. І (he, she, it, we, you, they) had worked.

Subjunctive II represents an action as contrary to reality. The Present Subjunctive II refers to the present and the future. The Past Subjunctive II refers to the past.

If I saw him tomorrow I should tell him about it.

If I had met her I would have told her about it.

Subjunctive II is used to represent an action as con­trary to reality: in simple sentences; in object clauses when the predicate of the princi­pal clause is the verb to wish; in subordinate clauses joined to the principal clause by the conjunctions as if, as though. In the last two cases the Present Subjunctive II is used if the action of the subordinate clause is simultane­ous with that of the principal clause.

You just go out as though you were going for a walk.

I felt as if I were being sent home.

The Past Subjunc­tive II is used if the action of the subordinate clause precedes that of the principal clause.

І wish I had not told you about it.

Subjunctive II is also used in adverbial clauses of condition when the realization of the condition is impos­sible or unlikely. In the principal clauses of such sentences the Conditional Mood is used.

TESTS

TEST 1