Constructions with the Infinitive

Traditionally, grammarians distinguish the following constructions with the infinitive:

1. The objective infinitive construction;

2. The subjective infinitive construction;

3. The for - to infinitive construction.

1. The first construction consists of a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the objective form and the infinitive. In the sentence this construction has the function of a complex object, e.g. I saw John cross the street. This construction is used after verbs of mental processes (e.g. hear, watch, feel, observe, notice; know, think, consider, believe, suppose, expect, imagine, find; like, want, wish, desire, mean, intend, choose), verbal processes (e.g. pronounce, report, declare), and verbs of causative processes (e.g. make, cause, get, have, order, allow).

2. The second construction consists of a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative form and the infinitive. In the sentence, the construction functions as a complex subject, e.g. John was seen to cross the street. The construction is used with verbs in the passive voice denoting mental (e.g. see, hear, etc), verbal (e.g. say, report, etc.), modal (epistemic) processes (e.g. appear, be likely, etc.), and verbs of causative processes (e.g. make, order, allow). This construction is in fact a passive version of the former.

3. The third construction consists of the preposition for (or of), a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the objective form and the infinitive, e.g. He is a good man for you to know. Syntactically, the construction is polyfunctional: it may function as a complex subject (e.g. For you to do such a thing will only cause trouble), a complex object (e.g. The store arranged for us to pay the money in three installments), a complex predicative (e.g. The regulation is for boys and girls to live in separate dormitories), and a complex adverbial (a complex adjunct) (e.g. In order for me to buy a car, I’ll have to take a loan from the bank).

Дата добавления: 2013-12-13