- •The infinitive
- •The Use of the Particle ‘to’ with the Infinitive
- •The use of the particle ‘to’ without an infinitive
- •The nominal and verbal character of the infinitive
- •The use of tense and voice forms of the infinitive
- •Passive or active forms of the infinitive
- •Functions of the infinitive in the sentence
- •The Adverbial Modifier
- •The infinitive Complexes and phrases
- •The complex object
- •I suddenly felt something brush against my arm.
- •The complex subject
The complex subject
The Complex Subject construction is a semi-predicative construction which is the passive counterpart of the Complex Object construction:
She was often heard to remark on how lonely she felt.
The Infinitive in the Complex Subject is used after:
verbs of sense perception in the passive (see, hear, notice, feel, etc.)
The to-infinitive in its simple or continuous active forms is used
after verbs of this group:
One visitor was heard to remark something about the entrance fee.
She was seen to enter the building about the time the crime was committed.
A very brief reprieve, then: only a few hours. Only a few hours left before she had to set aside, and be seen to be setting aside, what she wanted so much, before she had to face finally that success in her career was not to be hers.
verbs of order and permission in the passive (make, allow, order, etc.)
The to-infinitive in its simple active form is used:
I’m not allowed to drive my dad’s car.
She must be made to comply with the rules.
verbs of mental perception in the passive (think, consider, believe, suppose, etc.)
The to-infinitive in all of its forms is possible:
The ancient city is known to have existed in the region.
Near the silo, where the Spruills were supposed to be camping, there was a grassy area where baseball could be played.
verbs of saying in the passive (advise, ask, persuade, recommend, etc.)
The to-infinitive in all of its forms is possible:
He was supposed to have committed this crime and run off through a shopping centre (this is what the police/people claimed)
Students are recommended to read the following books.
The new king was said to be possessed by a frantic grief.
some other verbs in the passive (show, reveal, find, etc.):
Smoking has been shown to increase the risk of getting lung cancer.
Specks of paint found at the scene were found to match the accused’s car.
The Infinitive in the Complex Subject construction can also follow:
1. verbs ‘appear, chance, happen, prove, seem, turn out’ in the active form
The to-infinitive in all of its forms is possible:
No one appeared to notice me.
It all seemed to be happening, still, though he was beginning to realize now that it was over.
The building appears to have been used as a place of worship.
Adjectives ‘(un)likely, sure, (un)certain’ used after linking verbs
The to-infinitive is used with reference to the future, so only its simple form is possible:
They’re hardly likely to get home before ten.
He is certain to agree.
If you get drunk tonight, you’re sure to feel rotten in the morning.
FOR-PHRASES
The use of for-phrases before the infinitive shows that the action expressed by the infinitive does not refer to the real subject of a sentence but to the word in a for-phrase:
Rescue teams were waiting for the weather to improve.
The Infinitive in the construction can be used as:
1. Subject
It was common for children to play in the street.
It took twenty minutes for the smoke to clear.
All forms of alcohol were frowned upon by almost everyone in Black Oak. And while it was sinful enough for men to sneak around and drink, for women to do so was scandalous.
When used in sentences with the impersonal ‘it’ the preposition ‘for’ usually specifies the person or thing whose quality is expressed by an adjective:
Desmond said each time, ‘Very unusual for a woman to be studying medicine, of course.’
2. Object
I thought they would make a good pair so I arranged for them to meet.
God didn’t intend for us to kill one another.
The secondary subject in a for-phrase can be found after the verbs which require the use of this preposition after them (arrange for, apply for, wait for, long for, call for, ask for, pay for, etc.):
I was tired and was longing for her to leave.
They applied for the hearing to be postponed.
3. Predicative or its part
Their aim is for the team to win.
Of course I’m keen for him to be successful.
We are eager for you to meet him
4. Attribute
This is the ideal chance for him to show his ability.
I have orders for you to return at once.
She had a whole list for us to do.
5. Adverbial modifier of result/purpose/intention
She spoke too quickly for me to understand.
For us to arrive on time, we have to leave at once.
I turned up the volume, in order for everyone to hear better.
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OF-PHRASES
The of-phrase specifies the person who has a quality expressed by an adjective before the preposition ‘of’:
It was rude of him to leave so suddenly.
It was kind of you to help them.
The simple active infinitive is most common:
It was so stupid of her to interfere.
The perfect infinitive is possible to show priority:
How silly of them to have left the guidebook in the car.
‘I do think it’s too bad of you to have forgotten,’ Edward said. Cassia apologised.
The commonest adjectives are ‘brave, careless, clever, cruel, friendly, generous, good, intelligent, kind, mean, nasty, nice, polite, rude, sensible, silly, stupid, thoughtful, unfriendly, unkind, unreasonable, wrong’.