- •Contents
- •The infinitive
- •1. The forms and categories of the Infinitive. The use of ‘to’-Infinitive and the Bare Infinitive. ‘To’ without the Infinitive.
- •Exercises
- •2. The Infinitive in the function of the Subject
- •Exercises
- •3. The Infinitive in the function of Part of the Predicate
- •Exercises
- •4. The Infinitive in the function of Object
- •Exercises
- •5. The Infinitive in the function of Attribute
- •Exercises
- •6. The Infinitive in the function of Adverbial Modifier and Parenthesis
- •Exercises
- •Of purpose:
- •Of consequence:
- •7. The Complex Object, the For-Complex and the Complex Subject
- •The Complex Object
- •The Complex Subject
- •Exercises
- •Revision of the Infinitive
- •I meant to call
- •Test yourself Test on the Infinitive
- •State the functions of the Infinitive.
- •Paraphrase the sentences using the Infinitive.
- •Find and correct an error.
- •Translate into English.
- •(Keys, p.125) the gerund
- •8. The forms and categories of the Gerund.
- •Exercises
- •9. The Gerund in the functions of Subject, Predicative, Part of Compound Verbal Predicate.
- •Exercises
- •Translate into English:
- •10. The Gerund in the function of Object.
- •Exercises
- •Direct Object:
- •Prepositional Object:
- •11. The Gerund in the function of Attribute
- •Exercises
- •12. The Gerund in the function of Adverbial Modifier
- •Exercises
- •The alternative use of the Infinitive and the Gerund. The Gerund and the Verbal Noun.
- •13. The choice between the Gerund and the Infinitive after some Verbs.
- •Exercises
- •14. The Gerund and the Verbal Noun compared.
- •Exercise
- •Revision of the Gerund
- •The Titanic
- •Test yourself Test on the Gerund
- •I. Define the function of underlined gerunds.
- •II. Complete these sentences with the correct preposition and a verb form to express the ideas in brackets. Make all necessary changes.
- •III. Find and correct errors.
- •IV. Translate the sentences into English.
- •V. Read the news items below and complete what you might say using the gerunds:
- •(Keys, p.126) the participles
- •15. The forms and categories of the Participles
- •Exercises
- •16. Participles in the functions of Attribute, Predicative, and Parenthesis.
- •17. Participles in the Functions of Adverbial Modifier.
- •Exercises
- •Attribute:
- •Predicative:
- •Adverbial modifier:
- •Parenthesis:
- •18. Participle I and the Gerund compared.
- •Exercises
- •19. Complex Object with the Participles
- •20. Complex Subject with the Participles
- •21. Absolute Participial Constructions
- •Exercises
- •Revision of the Participles
- •Test yourself Test on Participles
- •I State the functions of the Participles:
- •II Paraphrase the sentences using Participial constructions (where possible):
- •III Translate into English. Mind the use of Participles:
- •IV Translate into Russian:
- •(Keys, p.127) Revision of the Verbals
- •I. State the functions of the Infinitive.
- •II. Paraphrase the sentences using the Infinitive.
- •III. Find and correct an error.
- •IV. Translate into English.
- •I. Define the function of underlined gerunds.
- •II. Complete these sentences with the correct preposition and a verb form to express the ideas in brackets.
- •III. Find and correct errors.
- •IV. Translate the sentences into English.
- •I State the functions of the Participles:
- •II Paraphrase the sentences using Participial constructions (where possible):
- •III Translate into English:
- •IV Translate into Russian:
2. The Infinitive in the function of the Subject
2.0. As the Subj. of the sentence INF can precede its predicate (Pred.) (To understand her was impossible. To sleep a few minutes longer wouldn’t hurt anything), or it can follow the Pred. In this case the first position in the sentence (usually reserved for the Subj.) is filled with an introductory ‘it’ (or preparatory/anticipatory Subj.) as its function is to prepare the listener to expect the real (notional) Subj. coming right after the predicate:
It was impossible to understand her. à To understand her was impossible. It wouldn’t hurt anything to sleep a few minutes longer.
In Modern English it is more common to begin a sentence with ‘it’ if the notional Subj. is expressed by INF:
It’s easy to make mistakes (instead of To make mistakes is easy).
2.1. The sentence built on the pattern It+Predicate+INF can express many different ideas, the most common of which are:
IMPORTANCE: It’s essential (important/necessary, etc.) to book tickets in advance (=It is essential that one should book…).
DIFFICULTY: It is (must be, etc.) hard to live on small salary.
POSSIBILITY: Is it possible to get to Flagstaff by this road? (=can one get there by…?).
USEFULNESS: It’s pointless to go there next Monday – they have a public holiday.
FREQUENCY or NORMALITY: It’s unusual to see Peter in a pub. Is it customary to tip hairdressers?
TIME TAKEN: It took me three hours to get home last night due to the traffic jams.
CONVENIENCE: Will it suit you to come tomorrow at five?
EMOTIONAL REACTION: It was lovely to see you again. It would be a pity to miss such a celebration. It must be a lot of fun to have a job in a circus.
IDEAS COMING INTO ONE’S HEAD: It didn’t occur to phone, I suppose?
Exercises
Ex.1. TRANSLATE the sentences into Russian paying attention to the Infinitive phrases used as subject.
1. It was still too painful to talk about the car wreck. 2. It was difficult to identify any man with certainty. 3. I know it is not decent to be speaking like this with my wife dead only a few days. 4. To move through the desert would be extremely difficult. 5. It is difficult, after the passage of more than a century, to understand the extent to which the train robbery of 1855 shocked the sensibilities of Victorian England. 6. They thought it would be a big honor to work for Dr. Levine - or anyway, interesting to work for an actual professional scientist. 7. I am sure she will be an excellent servant; and it will be a great comfort to poor Miss Taylor to have somebody about her that she used to see. 8. It will be useful to hear the succession of events again. 9. “If we don’t get on it will be easy to part company,” I answered. 10. It was good to know that someone else on Mars beside myself had human instincts of a civilized order. 11. We think that for a landlady considering a lodger, it is important to know his income, but still more important to know his philosophy. 12. “True, true; it can't be denied!” observed Mark Clark, a pleasant gentleman, whom to meet anywhere in your travels was to know, to know was to drink with, and to drink with was, unfortunately, to pay for. 13. “It won’t be easy to do it, my dear.” 14. To do that would mean, not merely to be defeated, but to acknowledge defeat. 15. “There is one of your English proverbs that I would quote to you: ‘it is well to be off with the old love, before being on with the new.’” 16. The roller coasters are too much talked about. To try it is not so frightening, especially when you try not the hardest one.
Ex.2. USE the Infinitive phrases below as subjects beginning the sentence.
Phrase list: to work together, to hide that kind of money, to cross the desert, to become a professional musician, to identify someone with certainty, to be ungrateful, to distract her, to deal with things personally, to live on the site of archaeological excavations, to be whistling a catchy tune;
1. … would be extremely hard in summer. 2. “… would be quite easy, I think, since you knew each other so well in the past”. 3. … means to work devotedly on one’s musical talents. 4. … would never occur to him. 5. … is a usual thing for him. 6. … was the last thing he wanted to do. 7. … means to be well familiar with the person. 8. … would be impossible in a town like Biloxi, population fifty thousand: someone at the bank would talk. 9. … would be more efficient than to take weekly trips there. 10. … was precisely what Dick wanted, needed to do.
Ex.3. PARAPHEASE the sentences to use infinitive as the subject with the introductory it. USE the phrases It takes/took/will take, etc. It costs/cost/will cost, etc.
Model: The work took me two hours. à It took me two hours to do the work.
1. Tracking him down cost me too much time and effort. 2. How long is it from London to New York by the newest jet? 3. We climbed to the top of the mountain in five hours. 4. Going to England by air will cost her a lot of money. 5. Being polite will not cost you anything. 6. I’m afraid I’ll be doing the calculations the whole day long. 7. He will need six months more to finish his book. 8. For nearly twenty minutes Sarah tried to lull her fearful six-year-old back to sleep. 9. Checking in for the flight was a matter of a second. 10. You may require a couple of days for your search in all city directories.
Ex.4. TRANSLATE into English using the infinitive as the Subject of the sentence with and without the introductory it.
1. Было очень приятно сидеть в старом, уютном кресле и наслаждаться покоем. 2. Необходимо пойти и объяснить ей все сейчас же. 3. Знать все об английском языке – одно, а знать английский – совсем другое. 4. Сказать ему правду в эту тяжелую минуту означало лишить его последней надежды. 5. Вам вовсе не помешает, если Вы займетесь спортом. 6. Было практически невозможно собрать весь материал за столь короткое время. 7. Забрать у него деньги было все равно, что ограбить ребенка. 8. Было просто невыносимо снова встретиться с ним. 9. Было очень страшно стоять на самой вершине скалы и смотреть вниз. 10. Разве не естественно отвечать добром на добро?