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THE INFINITIVE AND THE -ING FORM: THEIR USES - Coggle Diagram
THE INFINITIVE AND THE -ING FORM: THEIR USES
1. Introduction
Elements and form of a finite group
tense
Person/people, thing/things performing the action
Finite verb
tense, mood , voice, aspect, number and person
followed by objects, adjuncts and complements
Non-finite verbs
voice and aspect
followed by objects, adjuncts and complements
They look like independent clauses
Infinitive, participle or gerund
2. The Infinitive
The Infinitive in the Early Stages of the Languages (OE)
Neutral form
Pre-historical times
fully inflected verbal substantive
Old English
ending
-an
with one inflected form in the dative
-enne
Middle English
erosion of inflections to identical form with imperative, present indicative and subjunctive
Modern English
one of several applications or uses of what Jespersen calls the base form
Characteristics
Verbal substantive (function of a substantive: subject -rare: literary style-, object or predicative)
The
present infinitive
do not indicate time in itself, time depends on the element governing the infinitive or on the context
The
perfect infinitive
indicates what has preceded
No
future infinitive
but future in governing verb (I -shall- hope to see you again)
The
passive infinitive
: ambiguity, vacillation in context between state and action
The
progressive infinitive
express action of certain duration taking place around a point of time, or immediate future through "shall" or "will"
Uses of the Full Infinitive
Originally expressed the usual meaning of the preposition to (i.e. motion)
With the verbs "be", "have", "ought", "used"
Adjunct or object to the preceeding verb
Adjunct to the preceeding noun
Adjunct to the preceeding adjective
Qualifier of a verb, noun or complete sentence expressing purpose
After "in order to", "so as to"
After an interrogative pronoun or adverb, conjunction or relative pronoun
After the verbs "know"/"forget", "learn"/"teach" followed by "how" to express manner
After the present or past tense of "be" to express a command or arrangement
Accusative + full infinitive
Verbs which mean an act of will or express volition in some way (want, prefer, like, hate, love, dislike) when the action is addressed to somebody different from the subject
Literary English:
cause, mean, ask, command, advise, request, tell, order, invite, expect, find, etc.
Verbs with alternative structure:
to expect, to find, to appoint, to leave, to nominate, to trust, to promote
Accusative + passive infinitive when the subject of the infinitive is unknown except for
let
Nominative + infinitive
subject of the infinitive as subject of the main verb
verbs of physical perception with this construction
make, find, know
verbs of opinion and perception (
believe, declare, imagine, hear, etc.
) Also
say, feel, see, know
For+ Accusative + Full Infinitive
(function of purpose and
consequence or condition)
The infinitive depends on a verb
2 gramm. functions: subject of the infinitive or adjunct of the preceding noun
Verbs that govern the preposition "
for
"
The noun normally comes from verbs of order, intention, plan or necessity
The Split Infinitive: separation of the proclitic particle "to" from the infinitive by the adverb of the adverbial phrase
Uses of the Bare Infinitive
Modal verbs
With "dare" and "needn't" mainly in negative and interrogative sentences except when treated as regular verbs
With "do" as an operator or for emphasis
After "
had better, would rather, would sooner, rather than, sooner than
"
After some verbs:
let, make, help
When there are two coordinated infinitive and the first one is plain, the second too
In noun predicative clauses when the subject is a pseudo-cleft sentence the plain infinitive is more usual
In reply to questions using only the infinitive
Accusative with Plain Infinitive
Verbs of physical perception (
hear, feel, see, watch, notice, perceive, observe
)
Let
and
make
with causative sense or meaning
With
to have
When it means permission
Command/causative meaning
With the meaning of want or wish, normally preceded by the auxiliary would
Meaning sense of experience
With
to find
and
to know
in the present perfect with the meaning of experience
With
to help
on some occasions
3. The -ing form
Characteristics
Gerund: when used as a noun
Present participle: verbal adjective
A word with the -ing suffix can act as: a noun, gerund, present participle, adjective, prepositional phrase
Verbal noun
Verbal function: object/ qualified by an adverb
Uses of the -ing as Present Participle
Participle adjectives
Describe the person or thing that produces somebody's feelings
Like full adjectives
As an adjective: it refers to a characteristic or feature of the thing referred to by the noun and not to any specific act
Participle clauses
To introduce a participle clause
Like adjectives: give more information about nouns
Like adverbs
having + past participle: when an action happens before another action
Uses of -ing as a Gerund
As a noun
As a verb
As part of a Prepositional Adjunct (
be for/against, give up, keep on, leave off, look forward to, put off, see about, take to, etc.
)
After prepositions (and
above, against, at, before, besides, between, by, for, from, in, into, near, of, on, past, since, towards, upon, with, in, without, as, than, as well as and worth
)
As the Object or Adjunct of a Verb or Verbal Phrase (
avoid, deny, detest, enjoy, escape, give up/over, finish, fancy, it's no good, cannot help, to keep (on), to leave off, to mind, to postpone, to put off, to resent to, stop, have done, resist
)
After Verbs of Perception
After to go and to come (physical activity), to shop and special constructions (
spend, waste time
)
After pronouns and possessive adjectives
Perfect gerund: past action
4. The -ing gerund or the "to + infinitive"
Both: after a number of verbs and verbal phrases
Differences between the use of -ing and the "to + infinitive"