Nominal Features of the Infinitive

Verbal Features of the Infinitive

The verbal features of the infinitive are of two kinds: morphological and syntactic.

Morphologically, the verbal nature of the infinitive manifests itself in the grammatical categories of aspect, phase, and voice. The category of aspect finds its expression in the opposition of non-continuous and continuous forms. The non-continuous infinitive stresses the fact of the action, the continuous infinitive -the progress of the action. Cf:

I expect him to fail the exam

It's nice to be sitting here with you

The continuous infinitive is very seldom used, almost exclusively in the active voice.

The category of phase finds its expression in the opposition of non-perfect and perfect forms. Being the marked member of the phase opposition, the perfect infinitive usually denotes an action prior to the action expressed by the finite verb, e.g.: She said she was sorry to have missed you (M. Swan).

Syntactically, the verbal nature of the infinitive manifests itself in the following characteristics.

1. Its right-hand combinability with objects, adverbials, and predicatives when the infinitive happens to be a copula. Cf:

Arlene wanted to buy a fur coat (The New Webster's Grammar Guide) - object.

The train was to leave at midnight (E. Hemingway) -adverbial.

I’ m likely to be very busy tomorrow (M. Swan) - predicative.

2. Its left-hand combinability with a subjectival member denoting the doer of the action expressed by the infinitive, e.g.:

We want them to build a house (The New Webster's Grammar Guide).

3. The function of realizing the verbal component of primary predication when the infinitive makes part of a simple or compound predicate. Cf:.

I didn't touch anything (S. Hill) - part of a simple predicate.

His ambition was to write (The New Webster's Grammar Guide) — part of a compound nominal predicate.

Ann can type fast (V. Evans) - part of a compound verbal modal predicate.

He began to cry again... (S. Hill) - part of a compound verba) aspective predicate.

4. The function of realizing the verbal component of secondary predication when the infinitive makes part of a complex member of the sentence or forms a parenthesis. Cf:

She could see him smite (E. Hemingway) - complex object.

To cut a long story short, we finally reached London at four in the morning (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) -parenthesis.

Nominal Features of the Infinitive

The nominal features of the infinitive are only syntactic. The infinitive performs almost all syntactic functions characteristic of the noun: subject (often after the introductory it), predicative, object, attribute, and adverbial. Cf.:

To err is human, to forgive, divine (J. O'Hara) - subject.

It's easy to make mistakes (M. Swan) - subject.

My intention is to get into Parliament (A. Troliope) -predicative.

I have never learnt to read or write (W. Collins) - object.

They will make another attempt to cross the river tonight (R.A. Close) - attribute.

I merely came back to water the roses (O. Wilde) - adverbial of purpose.

There are three predicative infinitival constructions in Modern English:

1) the objective-with-the-infinitive constructionWe do not allow people to smoke in the lecture halls

2) the for-to-infinitive construction We are waiting for the rain to stop

3) the subjective infinitive construction Mr. Bob Sawyer was heard to laugh heartily

3 The Gerund

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