320. The infinitive may be used as a nominative of exclamation ([§ 88, 4]).
- To sleep! perchance to dream!
- To suffer and be silent!
- O to be a boy again! [A wish.]
- O to have lived in the brave days of old!
II. THE INFINITIVE AS A MODIFIER
321. An infinitive may be used as an adjective modifier of a noun or as an adverbial modifier of an adjective.
In this use the infinitive is said to depend on the word which it modifies.
| With Nouns (Adjective Modifier) | With Adjectives (Adverbial Modifier) |
|---|---|
| An opportunity to advance came. | The men are ready to advance. |
| Determination to win brings success. | John is eager to win. |
| Willingness to oblige makes friends. | I shall be glad to oblige you. |
| I wish I had the ability to swim. | We are all able to swim. |
| His anxiety to please us was laughable. | He is anxious to please everybody. |
Note. This use is due to the fact that the infinitive with to is really a prepositional phrase ([§ 42]). Thus, “determination to win” is equivalent to “determination for victory,” and “eager to win” to “eager for victory.” The adjective force of the infinitive comes out clearly in “nothing to eat,” where to eat is practically synonymous with eatable.
In its adjective use, the present infinitive sometimes shows no distinction in voice, so that the active and the passive are interchangeable: as,—“a house to let” or “to be let”; “an axe to grind” or “to be ground.” In such expressions the active form is usually preferable.
322. The infinitive without to may be used as an adjective modifier after the direct object of see, hear, feel, and some other verbs of like meaning.
- I saw the policeman arrest him.
- Hear the sea roar!
- Can you feel the ground tremble?
- Ruth watched the tide come in.