| Active | Passive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Present. | To love. | Present. | To be loved. |
| Perfect. | To have loved. | Perfect. | To have been loved. |
| Present Prog. | To be loving. | ||
| Perfect Prog. | To have been loving. | ||
157. Notice that only the present and perfect infinitives have the passive form. The progressive infinitives cannot be used in the passive. Remember also that only incomplete verbs, those which require an object to receive the action, can have a passive form.
The verb loved, which we have used in the above table, has a passive form because it is an incomplete verb, for there must be that which is the object of our love.
158. The complete verbs,—verbs which require no object,—cannot have a passive form for there is no object to become the receiver of the action. Take for example the verb dwell. This is a complete verb which can have no passive form. You cannot dwell anything, therefore you cannot say to be dwelt or to have been dwelt.
So complete verbs have only the four active forms, as follows:
| Active | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Present. | To dwell. | Present Prog. | To be dwelling. |
| Perfect. | To have dwelt. | Perfect Prog. | To have been dwelling. |
159. Infinitives, like participles, may be used either as nouns or adjectives. When used as nouns, they are used in the various ways in which nouns are used. The infinitive may be the subject of a sentence, thus:
- To hesitate now will be fatal.
- To be defeated is no crime.
160. The infinitive may be the object or complement of the verb. For example:
- He wanted to see you.
- His desire is to learn.