Учебное пособие 1583

There is a house to let.

4. Adverbial modifier (of purpose or result)

He rose to go. He went to Africa to die there.

5) Predicative

Her dream was to become an actress.

As we see, all these functions of the infinitive speak of its double nature: being a non-predicative form of the verb, it retains certain traits of the noun. Nevertheless, when used in these functions which are unusual for the finite verb, the infinitive has some peculiarities which distinguish it from the noun and show its verbal character still more obviously. These peculiarities are as follows:

1) As subject the infinitive is very seldom used without the anticipatory it. It is more usual to place the pronoun it first, and move the infinitive to the end of the sentence. Compare:

To obey the laws is everyone‘s duty. (formal) It is everyone‘s duty to obey the laws. (informal)

Note. Thee gerund can he used instead of the infinitive when the action is being considered in a general sense, but it is always safe to use an infinitive. When we wish to refer to one particular action we must use the infinitive.

He said, ―Do come with me.‖ It was impossible to

refuse.

(Here we are referring to one particular action, so the gerund is not possible.)

But: ―It is not always easy to refuse the invitations‖ can be re-

placed by: ―Refusing invitations is not always easy.‖

(Here the action is considered in a general sense, and either gerund or infinitive is possible.)

2. As object the infinitive is used differently from the noun; it can never be used with a preposition. When used as a direct object the infinitive forms a very close unit with the finite verb and is sometimes regarded as part of the so-called aspective predicate. Compare these two sentences:

I want to study French. I began to study French.

3. As attribute the infinitive is used in the following cases:

(a) after abstract nouns; the infinitive makes the meaning of such nouns quite concrete.

I have no desire to do it. There is every reason to believe it.

Note. This case is typical of the Russian infinitive as well.

(b) after concrete nouns to show how they are to be used.

This is the only thing to do. I want some paper to write on.

Note. Such constructions are impossible in Russian

(c) after pronouns, with the same meaning as in case (b).

I have nothing to tell you. I want someone to speak to.

Note that the meaning of the infinitive in cases (b) and (c) is passive though the active infinitive is used. The passive is possible when the verb to be precedes the noun or pronoun, but the active infinitive is more common.

Here are articles to be translated. O r: Here are the articles to translate.

(d) after adjectives

Adjectives expressing emotion are followed immediately by the infinitive.

I was glad to meet him. I am sorry to say that I can‘t come. He was angry to see that nothing had been done.

Adjectives of personal quality and such as typical, characteristic etc. are usually followed by of + noun or pronoun with the infinitive.

It was brave of him to do it. It is typical of verbals to be used attributively.

Most other adjectives can be followed immediately by the infinitive or by for + noun or pronoun with the infinitive.

The horse is hard to control.— The horse is hard for Tom to control.

The book seems easy to read.— It is easy for him to under-

stand.

The construction for + noun (pronoun) + infinitive is called a

―for-complex‖.

(e) after too + adjective or adverb; for + noun or pronoun can also be used here as above. Too has a negative meaning. It shows that something is more than enough, necessary or wanted.

He is too stupid to understand. It is too hot to run. It is too heavy for you to carry. He speaks too quickly for us to understand. This coffee is too sweet for me.

(f) after adjective/adverb enough or enough + noun + toinfinitive. Enough has a positive meaning. It shows that there is as much of something as is wanted or needed.

I am old enough to be your father. You have enough sense to know better. It was hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement.

BUT: not + adjective/adverb + enough + to-infinitive has a negative meaning.

He did not run fast enough to win the race.

(4) As adverbial modifier it can express:

(a) purpose

They rose to go. He stopped to have a smoke.

Note that it is not usual to place an infinitive of purpose after the imperatives go and come except when we use the infinitive of the verb to see, i.e. we can say:

Go to see him. Come to see me.

With most other verbs it is necessary to change the infinitive into another imperative, joining the two imperatives by and.

Go and get him. Come and help us.

(b) result

He went to Africa to die there. I woke one morning to find myself famous.

Here the infinitive expresses the result of the action expressed by the predicate; it is the so-called continuative infinitive. It should

be translated as: Он отправился в Африку и умер там. Я проснулся … и обнаружил, что я знаменит.

An infinitive of result may be used with only to express disappointment.

He hurried to the house only to find that it was empty. He picked himself up only to fall again heavily.

Note. Care should be taken not to confuse an infinitive of purpose with that of result. Compare the following two sentences:

He looked around to see if someone was waiting for him.— He looked around to see them coming up.

Exercise 1. Supply the missing forms of the following infinitives:

to have been done, to be spoken to, to curl, to be breaking, to have nodded, to drive, to be ruined, to be rubbing, to land, to turn, to have been sleeping, to be got, to be running, to have been read, to be said, to arrive, to be telling, to play.

Exercise 2. Use the appropriate form of the infinitives in brackets:

1.I‘m so dreadfully sorry (to bother) you in this stupid way.

2.He kept late hours last night, he may still (to sleep). 3. ―She must (to be) very beautiful years ago,‖ Maren thought. 4. It‘s a secret, and no one else must (to tell). 5. God-bye. So pleased (to meet) you. 6. He‘s a talented engineer. He‘s supposed (to work) at a new invention. 7. Oh, my Margaret, my daughter. You should never (to go). It was all your father‘s fault. 8. She seems (to work) at her course paper since spring and says she has still a lot (to do). 9. I‘ve just seen him passing the entrance door, so he can‘t (to work) at the laboratory as you say. 10. The next morning he seemed (to forget) it

all. 11. It ought (to do) long ago; at least before their leaving Blackstable. 12. She seemed at times (to seize) with an uncontrolled irritation and would say sharp and wounding things. 13. You probably think that I must (to live) a very gay life in France, but it wasn‘t so. 14. No words can describe it: it must (to see).

Exercise 3. Replace the subordinate clause by attributive infinitives:

1. There weren‘t many children in the neighbourhood who we could play with. 2. He fell asleep with full determination that he would go and see for himself. 3.He is a man one can trust. 4. We didn‘t know the way to the station, and there wasn‘t anyone who we could ask. 5. He was the first person who came to the bar and the last who left it. 6. It isn‘t a thing you can joke about. It‘s a serious matter. 7. He will always find something that makes him laugh at. 8. They decided that it was a nice little town where they could live quietly for a while. 9. He‘s not a man who you can easily frighten. 10. There‘s nothing that we might discuss now.

Everything is settled. 11. He was the first man who guessed what George was driving at. 12. No doubt it was the best time when lie could find them all at home. 13. A good housewife will always find something that must be done about the house. 14. The old general wanted nothing but a grandson who he could dandle on his knee.

Exercise 4. Point out infinitives of result and translate the sentences into Russian.

1. I intended to use the opportunity, it was too good to be missed. 2. When I left the Post Office I found that I was too late to catch the London train. 3. It was getting too hot to work and we decided to have a break. 4. Dixon was clever enough to avoid talking on this subject with Welch. 5. Michael considered Jonny to be too young to be drawn into their religious community. 6. She was woman enough not to forget to powder her nose even at the critical moment. 7. His case is such as not to be helped. 8. He

turned to Margaret to find her in conversation with Carol Goldsmith. 9. He heard a loud knock at the front door and opened it to see a stranger in a shabby raincoat. 10. She liked to be kind to people and used to give promises to forget them at once. 11. He went quickly to the bathroom, and returned to find Murphy sitting beside his bed. 12. I wish I were strong enough to help you, my boy.

Exercise 5. Paraphrase the following sentences so as to use infinitives of result:

M o d e l s: 1. The storm was so strong that I couldn‘t go out.

The storm was too strong (for me) to go out.

2. The text is so short that it can be translated in an

hour.

The text is short enough to be translated in an hour.

1. It was so dark that he could see nothing before him. 2. You are so experienced, you ought to know better. 3. She was so excited that she couldn‘t utter a word. 4. He was so angry, he wouldn‘t speak to me. 5. His English vocabulary is very poor; he can‘t make himself understood. 6. She knows English so well that she could read Somerset Maugham in the original. 7. Mr. Burton was so cruel that could send a man to death. 8. The story ―A Friend in Need‖ is so tragic, it can‘t be merely ironical. 9. The man was so down and out that he could not get a decent job. 10. The man was not very strong and so was unable to swim the distance. It was very late, nobody could save him.

Exercise 6. Paraphrase the following sentences, making the object of the infinitive the subject of the sentence:

M o d e l s: 1. It is hard to please him. He is hard to please.

2. It is pleasant to look at her.

She is pleasant to look at.

1. It is not difficult to remember the rule. It is simple. 2. It‘s very comfortable to sit in my Grandfather‘s armchair. 3. She is a kind person. It‘s easy to deal with her. 4. He‘s very stubborn. It‘s difficult to persuade him. 5. It‘s not very easy to translate this passage. It contains some idiomatic expressions. 6. It is pleasant to look at the girl, but not at all pleasant to talk to her. She‘s pretty but not very clever. 7. It was unpleasant to watch their quarrel. 8. It‘s always funny to listen to his stories. 9. It would be useful to follow

Uncle Jack‘s advice. 10. It‘s not so very easy to answer this question.

Exercise 7. Make up sentences, using the following adjectives with infinitives (follow the models of the previous exercise):

easy to deal with; difficult to understand; pleasant to look at; hard to please; useful to remember; amusing to watch; easy to answer; uncomfortable to sit on; easy to follow; difficult to avoid; pleasant to talk to; not far to seek; not easy to find.

Exercise 8. Replace the clauses in the following sentences with infinitive phrases:

1. I should be delighted if I could get acquainted with the captain of your team. 2. He was annoyed when he learnt that they hadn‘t chosen him as a player for the All-Union match. 3. I was sorry that I had missed the beginning of the match. 4. We must wait till we hear the referee‘s whistle, then we‘ll see the teams coming out. 5. They wouldn‘t be surprised if they were to receive an invitation to play in a tennis match with the fellows from our college. 6. You would be foolish if you missed the chance. 7. I‘m pleased that I’ve been of some service to you. 8. She turned to me as if she was going to ask me something. 9. We are happy that we have won, it was a difficult match. 10. I was sorry when I heard of

their failure. 11. I‘m sorry that I’ve been of so little assistance. 12. He pressed his finger to his lips as if he wanted to warn her.

Exercise 9. Complete the sentences with too or enough and the adjective in brackets.

1.A: Did you go to the beach yesterday?

B:No. It wasn‘t ………………………….. (warm) to go to

the beach.

2.A: Do her new shoes fit her?

B:No. They are ……………………………… (small).

3.A: Have you finished your homework?

B:I can‘t. It‘s ……………………………… (difficult).

4.A: Did you hear the announcement?

B:No. It wasn‘t …………………………… (loud).

5.A: Can you open the window, please?

B:I can‘t. I‘m not ……………………………… (tall) to

reach it.

6.A: It‘s ……………………….. (hot) in here.

B:Why don‘t you take your coat off, then?

7.A: Did you enjoy the party last night?

B:No. We were …………………………… (tired) to enjoy

it.

8.A: Why don‘t you drink your tea?

B:It‘s not …………………………… (sweet) for me to

drink.

Exercise 10. Transform the sentences as in the model.

M o d e l: He is very short. He can‘t be a basketball player. –

He is too short to be a basketball player.

1. She has saved enough money. She can go on holiday. 2.

This tea is very hot. I can‘t drink it. 3. Daisy is very young. She can‘t go to school. 4. They have got lots of space. They can have a party. 5. Paul is rich. He can buy a yacht. 6. It‘s hot outside. You can‘t wear a coat. 7. Mary is mature. She can make her own decisions. 8. This flat is small. We can‘t live in it any more. 9. Ron has a lot of patience. He can look after the children.

PREDICATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE INFINITIVE

The infinitive is widely used in such predicative constructions as the complex object, the complex subject and the for-complex.

THE COMPLEX OBJECT

(THE OBJECTIVE WITH THE INFINITIVE)

This construction is used as the object of a transitive verb. The most important of the transitive verbs followed by a complex object (a noun or a pronoun + an infinitive) аге: want, wish, expect, help, ask, mean, intend, like, prefer, fell, order, advice, allow, permit, forbid make, let and the verbs of sensation: see, hear, feel, watch, notice, observe.

I want him to do it. I asked him to show it to me. He ordered his men to search the prisoner. Did he allow you to take the dictionary?

The verb let, the causative verbs have and make and the verbs of sensation are followed by the infinitive without to.

She lets her children do what they want. I will not have my children misbehave themselves. The teacher made the pupil do the work all over again. Several people saw him leave the house. We heard someone knock at the door. Did you notice anyone come out of that door? We watched the plane disappear into the clouds. We felt the floor vibrate.