NON-FINITE FORMS OF THE VERB
The verb has finite and non-finite forms which are also called verbals. Unlike the finite forms of the verb the verbals do not express person, number or mood. Therefore they cannot be used as the predicate of the sentence.
Like the finite forms of the verb the verbals have tense and voice distinctions. But their tense distinctions differ greatly from those of the finite verb.
There are three verbals in English: the participle, the gerund and the infinitive.
The characteristic traits of the verbals are as follows:
1) They have double nature, nominal and verbal. The Participle combines the characteristics of a verb with those of an adjective; the gerund and the infinitive combine the characteristics of a verb with those of a noun.
2) The tense distinctions of the verbals are not absolute, but relative; the form of the verbal does not show whether the action it denotes refers to the present, past or future; it shows only whether the action expressed by the verbal is simultaneous with the action expressed by the finite verb or prior to it.
3) All the verbals can form predicative constructions, i. e. constructions consisting of two elements, a nominal (noun or pronoun) and a verbal (participle, gerund or infinitive); the verbal element stands in predicate relation to the nominal element, i. e, in a relation similar to that between the subject and the predicate of the sentence. In most cases predicative constructions form syntactic units, serving as one part of the sentence.
e. g. I saw him crossing the street.
The infinitive
The Infinitive is a non-finite form of the verb which names a process or an action in a most general way. It is historically a noun. The Infinitive has double nature, i. e. it has nominal and verbal features.
1. The nominal character of the Infinitive is manifested in its syntactic functions. The infinitive can be used as:
a) the subject of a sentence
e. g. To go on like this was dangerous.
b) as a predicative
e. g. My desire is to help you.
c) as an object
e. g. I don’t want to be questioned.
2. The verbal characteristics of the Infinitive are as follows:
a) the infinitive of transitive verbs can take a direct object
e. g. He began to feel some curiosity.
b) the infinitive can be modified by an adverb
e. g. I cannot write so quickly.
c) the infinitive has tense and aspect distinctions; the infinitive of transitive verbs has also voice distinction
|
Active |
Passive |
Indefinite/Simple |
To translate To go |
To be translated - |
Continuous |
To be translating To be going |
- - |
Perfect |
To have translated To have gone |
To have been translated - |
Perfect Continuous |
To have been translating To have been going |
- - |
Like the tense distinctions of all verbals those of the infinitive are not absolute, but relative.
The indefinite infinitive expresses an action simultaneous with that expressed by the finite verb or posterior to it, so it may refer to the present, past or future:
e. g. I am/was/will be glad to see you.
e. g. He is said to write books.
e.g. He is said to come tomorrow.
The continuous infinitive also denotes an action simultaneous with that expressed by the finite verb, but it is an action in progress:
e. g. He is said to be writing a new book.
The perfect infinitive expresses an action which is prior to that expressed by the finite verb:
e.g. He is said to have written three books last year.
The perfect continuous infinitive denotes an action which lasted a certain time before the action of the finite verb:
e.g. He is said to have been writing this book for two years.
The active infinitive denotes an action directed from the subject to the object while the passive infinitive denotes an action directed to the subject:
e. g. She wanted to love and to be loved.
NOTE. Both active and passive infinitives can be used with the similar passive meaning. The active infinitive is found when we think more about the person who has to do the action than about the action itself:
e. g. There are 6 letters to write/to be written.
e. g. Give me the names of people to attend/to be attended.
The use of the infinitive without the particle to
In modern English the infinitive is mainly used with the particle to. Still, there are cases when the infinitive is used without the particle to. They are as follows:
After auxiliary verbs:
e. g. I shall come in time.
After modal verbs (except have to, be to, ought to):
e. g. You may take any of my books.
After verbs of sense perception (hear, see, feel, watch, observe, notice):
e. g. I heard him say something.
NOTE 1. The verb to be after feel is used with the particle to:
e. g. I felt it to be true.
After the verb to let:
e. g. Let us discuss it.
After the verbs to make, to have in the meaning заставлять in positive statements and the verb to have in the meaning не позволять, не допускать in negative sentences:
e. g. He made me do this work.
e. g. I won’t have you come to this house.
After the verb to know when it means see, observe (usually in the Present Perfect):
e. g. I have never known her speak so frankly.
NOTE 2. After the verbs to hear, to see, to make, to let, to know in the passive voice the to-infinitive is used:
e. g. He was heard to mention my name.
e. g. The boy was made to leave the room.
e. g. He was never known to deceive anybody.
After the expressions had better, would rather, would sooner, cannot but (не могу не), nothing but, cannot choose but:
e. g. You had better read another story,
e. g. I cannot but do it so.
In special questions beginning with why:
e. g. Why not go to the cinema?
The verb help may be followed both by a to-infinitive and by a bare infinitive:
e. g. He helped me carry/to carry my bag.
10) If two infinitives are joined by and or or, the to of the second infinitive can be omitted:
e. g. I want to call Mr Jones and fax or post him a letter.
The particle to is often used without the infinitive if the meaning of the infinitive is easily understood from the context:
e. g. I don’t ask such questions even if I want to.
The particle to may be separated from the infinitive by an adverb (split-infinitive):
e. g. However he was unable to long keep silence.