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The Infinitive and the ing-form as Object§ 237.As an object of a verb, the infinitive and the ing -form According to a well-established tradition, a number of verbs The overlap in the use of the infinitive and the ing form is, 1) The head-verb is sometimes polysemantic and requires the To try in the meaning of 'to make an effort or attempt1 is e.g. a) I'll try todo what I can. Someone said, "We mustn't try to runbefore we can walk." It should be noted, however, that to try is much more common To propose in the meaning of 'to intend' is used with the infin- e.g. a) Tell me more about how you propose to startyour business. He did not propose toforgive them this time, To go on in the meaning of 'to do next or afterwards' requires e.g. a) She went on tosay that he was a man one could trust com- The shopkeeper went on to explainthat these little wood- b) Tom went on talking. But you can't go on livingin this way any longer. Note. The verb to mean in the meaning of 'to intend' is followed by an infini- e.g. a) Do you mean to say he actually approves of it? b) "To love a woman means giving up everything else," he said. 2) With certain other verbs the overlap in the use of the infin- e.g. a) Bart remembered to countfive before answering his father, a) I forgot to tellJohn about the party. b) I shall never forget testifying in that trial twelve years ago. a) I regret to say it but you shouldn't believe everything he tells you. b) He regretted hurting her feelings. It should be noted that owing to their lexical meaning the 3) With some other verbs the infinitive and the ing-form seem However, after to begin, to cease and to continue the infinitive Note 1. Care should be taken to remember that there are other verbs in English Note 2. After the verb to stop the object is always expressed by an ing-form, The infinitive after to stop can serve only as an adverbial modifier of purpose. e.g. As I stopped at the bar to have a drink I saw them talking it over. If the infinitive happens to follow the head-verb immediately it is to be regard- e.g. I stopped to ask if you were better. They told me you were on duty. Note 3. The infinitive and the ing-form may serve as object to verbs generally e.g. "I may as well plan on living in London for the rest of my life," said George. Note 4. There have been a great many attempts to explain the difference in the finitive has been described as referring to special, particular and concrete occasions § 238. As an object of an adjective, the infinitive and the ing- On the whole the choice between the infinitive and the ing- Cf. I was touched to find my own name on the invitation list. She couldn't allow herself to tell him how touched she was at Her coat was pulled tightly round her as if she were afraid Are you wanted by the police? You needn't be afraid of tell- She is certain to get the names wrong. She is so careless. "You look for trouble, don't you?" "Only because I'm certain I was just scared to leave it there. I was scared to death at going there to speak. She told me sternly how fortunate I was to be there in time. I am very fortunate in having a wife who likes being a woman. I was content to let things drift along just as they were. I was fairly content with letting things go as they were. She looked wonderfully and vividly alive, and I was proud to But when I went to Germany I discovered that the Germans The men were careful not to slip on the ice. We were never very careful about taking precautions. After certain of the above adjectives, however, the infinitive e.g. a) In fact, I haven't the faintest idea what's been going on, and I'm afraid to ask. a) I walked up and down the hall. I was afraid to go in. b) Were you ever afraid of losing your mind? a) Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be able to use my car. b) I'm sorry for coming like this, without being invited. a) I thought that perhaps I should be wiser not to go. b) I thought she wasn't very wise in telling us that. Yet it should be pointed out that on the whole the infinitive is The use of the infinitive and the ing-form with certain other e.g. a) The apples are good to eat (=the apples are good for eating), a) At first he was grateful to have the play to read (=he was pleased / happy to have...). b) No one is grateful for being looked after (=no one feels gratitude for being looked after). a) I was interested to learn that it was the same cafe where they had met (=it was interesting for me to learn...) b) Somehow I was interested in getting back into that work (=I was anxious to get...). The Infinitive and the ing-form as Object § 239. We usually find the infinitive as an object of a verb or e.g. It annoyed me to hear him tell a lie. It's not easy to live with someone you've injured. It wouldn't be tactful to bring up the subject in his presence. The ing-form can also be found as an object of an adjective in e.g. Well, it isn't easy telling you all this. It will be great having them at the party. However, only the ing-form is used after the expressions to be e.g. If it came to losing him, would she suffer? The Infinitive and the ing-form as Subjective Predicative § 240. As subjective predicative, the infinitive and the ing-form After to hear, to see and to watch the differentiation between e.g. a) The front door downstairs was heard to slam. b) The door was heard shutting. He was last seen turning round the corner. With durative verbs, the difference between the two verbals e.g. He had been heard to discussthe possibility. He went out and was heard laughingin the hall. Afterthe verbs to find, to report and to show the difference be- e.g. a) A week later he was found to beout of danger. The Senator was reported to bebadly injured in the accident, About that time a hurricane was reported movingout of However, analytical forms of the infinitive may also be found e.g. She was found to have stolenthe ring. The building is reported to have been damagedin the air raid. After the verb to leave the infinitive shows that the action e.g. a) The matter will be left to lie. If things are left to runtheir usual course, everything will shape out by itself, Some writers claim that in life stories are not finished, situa- Date: 2016-01-03; view: 995
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