The Nominative with the Infinitive

The subject of a sentence may be expressed by a noun (or pronoun) and an infinitive which follows the predicate. Although the noun (or pronoun) and the infinitive do not stand together, they are closely connected and form one complex part of the sentence. They form a complex subject.

The relation between the noun (or pronoun) and the infinitive is that of secondary subject (=doer) and secondary predicate (=action).

Thus in the sentence The girl (she) was seen to leave the house "The girl… to leave the house" is a complex subject to the predicate "was seen". What was seen is the girl in the action of leaving the house (=that the girl left the house).

This construction consisting of a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case and an infinitive is called the "Nominative with the Infinitive" (from the classical "Nominativus cum Infinitivo"). The finite verb in the sentence (the predicate verb) is very frequently used in the passive:

Sally was made to open her case by the customs officer.

The "Nominative with the Infinitive" is used with verbs denoting:

1) perception – to hear, see, feel, observe:

The suspect was seen to enter the building at 8.

2) mental activity – to know, expect, believe, suppose, think, consider, find:

Homeopathic remedies are believed to be very effective.

He is supposed to have robbed a bank a long time ago.

3) order, request, permission, compulsion, intention – to order, command, request, ask, allow, permit, forbid, force, make, intend, mean:

Passengers are requested to remain seated until the aircraft comes to a complete stop.

On Sunday mornings I was made to go to church.

4) verbs of saying and reporting – to say, report, pronounce:

The building is reported to have been damaged by fire.

5) verbs of seeming and appearing – to seem, appear, happen, chance, prove, turn out:

Whatever I say, I seem to say the wrong thing.

Do you happen to know the time?

6) the combinations to be sure, be bound, be certain, be likely:

Tom has got a very bad memory. He is sure to forget what you told him.

Thus, the construction "the Nominative with the Infinitive" consists of a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case and an infinitive. The action of the infinitive has a doer of its own expressed by that noun (or pronoun). The syntactical function of the construction is that of a complex subject.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 2428