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In the function of a predicative the to-infinitive is used in compound nominal predicates after the link verb to be
His dearest wish was to have a son.
In sentences with an infinitive subject the predicative infinitive denotes an action that follows, or results from the action of the subject infinitive
To see her was to admire her.
To come there at this hour was to risk one’s life.
A predicative infinite phrase may be introduced by the conjunctive adverbs and pronouns how, when, what, whom, the choice depending on the lexical meaning of the noun
Now the question was what to tell him.
The problem was how to begin.
The function of the subject may also be performed by the pronoun all or the substantivized superlatives the most and the least with an attributive clause attached to them
All he wanted was to be left alone.
The least I can expect is to have this day all to myself.
In such cases the predicative infinitive can lose its marker to
All I can do is get you out of here
Occasionally the function of the subject can be performed by a gerund or a what-clause.
Living with hemophilia was to live off balance all the time.
What we want to do is to fight a world.
The infinitive as simple nominal predicate
The infinitive as simple nominal predicate may be used in exclamatory sentences expressing the speaker’s rejection of the idea that the person to whom the action of the infinitive is ascribed is likely to perform this action, or belong to such sort of people, as in
You - of all men - to say such a thing
Me - to be your lover
As a rule the infinitive in exclamatory sentences is used with the particle to, although it occasionally occurs without it
Me-marry him Never
The infinitive may be also used as predicate in interrogative infinitive why-sentences, both affirmative and negative, where it expresses a suggestion
Why let him sleep so long
Why not go away
In such sentences the infinitive is always used without the paricle to.
The infinitive as part of a compound verbal predicate
is used:
1. In a compound verbal modal predicate after the modal verbs can, may, must etc. and expressions with modal meaning had better, would rather etc
I can tell you nothing at all about it.
She ought to have told me before.
2. In a compound verbal phasal predicate after verbs denoting various stages of action, such as its beginning, continuation, or end. These verbs to begin, to start, to come, to continue, to go on, to cease, etc followed by a to-infinitive form a compound verbal phasal predicate.
Now I begin to understand you.
Then she came to realize what it all meant.
3.The compound verbal predicate of double orientation. The three sub-types are
a). The first part is expressed by one of the following intransitive verbs in the active voice to seem, to appear, to turn out, to happen, to chance.
Simple sentences with this type of predicate are synonymous with complex sentences of a certain pattern
She seems to be smiling It seems that she is smiling.
She appeared to have said all. It appeared that she had said all.
b). The first part of the predicate is expressed by the passive voice forms of a certain transitive verbs. They are:
1. Verbs of saying to announce, to declare, to report, to say, to state,etc
He was announced to be a winner.
2. Verbs of mental ability, such as to believe, to consider, to expect, to find, to know, to mean, to presume, to regard, to think,etc
He is supposed to be leaving soon.
3. Verbs of sense perception, such as to feel, to hear, to see, to watch, etc
She was often seen to walk alone.
4. The verb to make
He was made to keep silent.
c). The first part is expressed by the phrases to be likely, to be unlikely, to be sure, to be certain. In this case only the non-perfect forms of the infinitive are used, with future reference.
She is likely to be home.
He is sure to become your friend.
They are sure to be wanted as evidence.
In all these three subtypes the to-infinitive is always used.
The infinitive as object
After verbs the infinitive may be either the only object of a verb or one of two objects.
1. Verbs that take only one object are to agree, to arrange, to attempt, to care, to choose, to claim, to consent, to decide, to deserve, to determine, to expect, to fail, to fear, to forget, to hesitate, to hope, to intend, to learn, to like, to long, to love, to manage, to mean, to neglect, to omit, to plan, to prefer, to pretend, to regret, to refuse, to remember, to swear, to tend, etc
She agreed to come at ten.
He planned to spend a day in town.
You’ll soon learn to read, sonny.
2. Verbs which take two objects, the first of which is a noun or a pronoun and the second an infinitive. These are the verbs of inducement, they all have the general meaning to persuade,to cause to do something.
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