The structure of the English sentence

by Lillian Kimball Stewart

CHAPTER XX

THE INFINITIVE PHRASE

Nature of the Infinitive.—In the preceding lessons, we have studied but one element of the sentence; namely, the proposition. This combination of subject and predicate we have looked at from the point of view of its value as a sentence element, and we have found that in the communication of thought it is of the utmost importance by reason of its clearness. In this respect it is superior to other simpler and briefer elements, but nevertheless in the development of English prose we find the proposition steadily superseded, wherever possible, by several of the simpler elements. This is the result of an ever-growing tendency toward brevity and conciseness. In a recent monograph entitled “The History of the English Paragraph,” the author states that the English sentence has decreased in length at least one-half in three hundred years, and that it has shown very great decrease in formal predication. The means by which predication is avoided without sacrificing clearness are various. One of them, is the infinitive phrase, which we shall make the subject of this chapter.

By an infinitive phrase we mean a group of words of which an infinitive is the base, the whole group being the equivalent of a clause and forming an element of a sentence. It is an element employed so frequently that it is very easily interpreted, and its great advantage is that it enables us to dispense with a subject and predicate.

The infinitive is a verb-form differing from the finite verb in this,—it expresses the action or state denoted by the verb without the limitations of person and number, hence it cannot predicate. It is defined by grammarians as a verbal noun. This does not mean, however, that it always has the use of a noun, but rather that it has the nature of a noun in this important respect, that it names the action or state denoted by the verb. Just as a noun may be employed as an adjective or an adverb, thus, “I have a gold watch,” “I am going home,” and still retain its essential characteristic, that of being a name-word, so the infinitive may be used adjectively or adverbially and still be the name of an action or state. The infinitive also retains its verb nature so far as to take any of the modifiers or complements of the verb; for example, in the sentence,—“To furl a sail is to roll it up and secure it,” the subject is the infinitive phrase to furl a sail, the base of which is the infinitive to furl. Now in so far as to furl is subject it has the use of a noun; it has the nature of a noun, too, in naming an act; but it also has the nature of a verb insomuch as it denotes action performed upon the object sail.

Forms of the Infinitive.—There are two infinitives, the root infinitive, or infinitive with to,—to see, to run, to be,—and the gerund, or infinitive in -ing,—seeing, running, being. We shall study first the root infinitive. Besides the simple form, to see, called the present active infinitive, there is the perfect active infinitive, to have seen, and the corresponding passive forms, to be seen and to have been seen. We may also add the active progressive forms, to be seeing and to have been seeing. Intransitive verbs of course lack the passive forms. Of all these forms the one most used in the communication of thought is the simplest one of all, the present active.

Uses of the Infinitive.—The infinitive is used for many different purposes, but nearly always in relation to some word whose meaning it serves to make more clear and without which it would not be in the sentence at all. These relations of the infinitive to other words may perhaps be most clearly explained if we consider them in groups; (1) its relation to the noun, (2) to the verb, (3) to the adjective or adverb.

I. A noun may have an infinitive associated with it in two ways:—

1. As an adjective; as, “Leaves have their time to fall.”—Mrs. Hemans. Here the infinitive is brought into the sentence by the noun time, to specify what time the leaves have. The expression time to fall means falling time or time for falling. In the following sentence from Carlyle,—“He that speaks what is really in him will find men to listen,” the infinitive defines the noun men, being equivalent to the restrictive adjective clause who will listen, so we must say of the infinitive that it is used like an adjective modifying men. It is better than the clause, being simpler and briefer.

2. As a noun in apposition; as, “He had formed the heroic resolution to defend the tower alone against the enemy.” Here the infinitive phrase is associated with the noun resolution, but instead of defining or qualifying resolution, it tells exactly what the resolution is, and so is used as a noun. Moreover, we can make a sentence by putting the verb is between the noun resolution and the infinitive phrase; as, “His resolution is to defend the tower,” etc. This sentence is true, and means that the subject and the complement of the verb are two names for the same thing. When the infinitive is used with the noun as an adjective we cannot make such a sentence as the above; for example, we cannot say men are to listen, meaning that men and to listen are equivalent. Of course few nouns can be explained by an infinitive in apposition; no such noun, for instance, as city, man, book, tree, but such nouns as wish, promise, luck, intention, task.