The objective with the infinitive construction

The construction consists of:

1. a nominal element (a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the objective case

2. an infinitive which is in predicate relation to a nominal element

		The Objective with the Infinitive Construction
Subject	Predicate	Noun in the common case Pronoun in the objective case	Infinitive
We	want	John her son him	to come to visit us to study well

The whole construction forms a complex object and is translated into Russian by an object clause.

The objective with the infinitive construction is used in the following cases:

1. after verbs of sense perception (to see, to hear, to listen to, to feel, to watch, to observe, to notice). In this case the only possible form of the infinitive is active indefinite infinitive without the particle to:

e. g. I saw the man break the window.

I heard the dog bark.

If a process is expressed, participle I is used:

e. g. I saw the man breaking the window.

She watched them completing the work.

If the meaning is passive, participle II is used:

e. g. I saw the window broken.

She watched the work completed.

NOTE 1. If the verb to see is used with the meaning to realize or the verb to hear with the meaning to learn, the objective with the infinitive construction cannot be used. Here only subordinate object clause is possible:

e. g. I saw that he didn’t understand me (= я понял…).

I hear that he lives in Moscow again (= я узнал…).

NOTE 2. After the verbs to see, to notice when they denote sense perception the infinitive of the verb to be is not used. Instead a subordinate clause is used:

e. g. I noticed that he was unwell.

I saw that he was ill.

2. after verbs of mental activity (to think, to believe, to consider, to expect, to understand, to suppose, to find, etc.):

e. g. I know him to be an honest man.

I believed her to be watching TV in the next room.

3. after verbs of feeling and emotion (to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, cannot bear, etc.):

e. g. She hated him to speak like that.

I cannot bear him to be separated from me.

4. after verbs of wish and intention (to want, to wish, to desire, to mean, to intend, etc):

e. g. I didn’t mean you to come so early.

I wanted the fax to be sent today.

5. after verbs of declaring (to declare, to report, to pronounce):

e. g. They reported the plane to have landed.

6. after verbs of inducement (to force, to have, to make, to get, to cause, etc.):

e. g. I hope you’ll have him sign the papers.

She caused a telegram to be sent to him.

7. after verbs of order or permission (to order, to allow, to suffer, to ask, to let, to tell, etc.):

e. g. I didn’t allow the name to pass my lips.

He ordered the picture to be carried away.

8. after some verbs requiring a prepositional object (to count on, to look for, to listen to, to rely on, to wait for):

e. g. I rely on you to come in time.

We counted on you to come and help us.