Search results for 'tag:Nouns tag:Infinitive clauses' matching tags 'Nouns' and 'Infinitive clauses'

Re: Please help me with infinitive clause

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:52:11 GMT

Grammar is a descriptive process. Linguists look at a language and describe how it works.
However some Linguists describe things differently to others. The end result is usually the same, but the way they organise it, and what all the parts are call varies.
eg some Linguists say pronouns are a type of noun, some treat nouns and pronouns as different parts of speech. But both systems work out the same in the end.
However, having several different grammars is however confusing for all the rest of us!!!

An infinitive clause is the same as an infinitive phrase, however different systems of grammar are being used.
In the first clause contain any type of verb, in the second they contain a finite verb (not infinitive)

Infinitives (clauses or phrases - as you link)
Gerunds (clauses or phrases)
and
participle (clauses or phrases)
are all phrases that contain a verb.
They are clauses in some grammars and not in others.
My personal preference is to regard all phrases with a verb as a clause.
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Gerund phrase Getting the promotion is my only hope.

Infinitive phrase I wanted to leave.

Participle phrase Flying high in the air, the rocket exploded.

1024x768 Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 These phrases or clauses as vary depending on whether they are replacing nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
The Infinitive comes in two froms, the to-infinitive shown above and the bare infinitive.
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bare infinitive. All I did was touch it

Re: "If I were" in past

Huevos — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:59:48 GMT

nene4english
Do you mean this sentence correct is correct if the conclusion is also in the past?

It's just a standard type 3 conditional. This expresses a hypothesis on what would have happened if the "if" clause, which is no longer possible to fulfil, had been fulfilled. It is formed as follows: if + pronoun + past perfect clause + pronoun + would + perfect infinitive clause.

Re: Question about the phrase "I have things to do"

miriam — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:58:49 GMT

Hello, Twinkletoes.

No, that's not what I'm saying. "things to do" is the direct object of "have", the main verb of the sentence. "To do" would be a clause (a non-finite one) even if "things" weren't there or if it had some other type of complementation/modification. In this case, inside the clause, "things" is the subject and "to do" is the predicate.

"Have" is the main verb of the sentence; "to do" is the main verb in the subordinate clause "things to do".

I don't know if every single grammarian in the world would analyse the sentence in the same way, but I certainly know of some who do. What I posted before appears in grammar books. It doesn't mean that everyone has to agree with it, though. Disagreement is often the basis on which new thories are developed.

Anyway, let me give another example of what I said in my first post here:

"She wanted him to call her."

Here, "him to call her" is another to-infinitive clause (with a subject of its own) acting as direct object of the main verb "wanted". "Him" is the subject of the clause (in non-finite clauses, when they have a subject and if that subject is a pronoun, it will be in its "objective" form), "to call" is the main verb of the clause, and "her" the direct object inside the clause.

I'm sorry if that was confusing.

Miriam

Re: infinitive

Velimir — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:31:57 GMT

Hello everybody,

Taka, IÂ mustÂ admitÂ thatÂ I don't feel any adjectival flavor in that clause,only adverbial flavor.The clause:

"to alter or emphasize what we say and do"

is an adverbial(purpose)clause.

In the sentence:

I learned a good way to ensure the absence of typing mistakes.

the infinitive clause is part of the noun phrase with "way" as a head of the phrase.It can be replaced with a relative(adjectival)clause begining with "which ensures.."

As to the sentence which Hoa Thai has given as an example of the adjectival infinitive clause:

I need a nurse to care for my mom

It doesn't seem that "to care for my mom" qualify,describe,specify or tells about "nurse", it rather answers the question: "Why do you need a nurse",and therefore acts adverbialy in the clause structure.Although some similar situation maybe would justifyÂ the interpretation of the infinitive clause as part of the noun phrase.

Best regards

Please help me with infinitive clause

Ritthy — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:45:18 GMT

Dear everybody!

I am a Cambodian student in year two; I would like you to explain me about these:

1/ Please differentiate about:

- Infinitive clause and infinitive phrase

- Participle clause and infinitive phrase

-Gerund clause and gerund phrase

2/ Would you tell what does infinitive fonction( noun or adjective ) when it is playing role as objective complement?

Example: you make me cry. so cry here functions as what?

Thank you very much

good luck!

Re: infinitive

Marius Hancu — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:28:07 GMT

---------
infinitive clause: a type of non-finite clause,
with the verb in the infinitive. Infinitive clauses may or may not
contain the infinitive marker to. A subject may or may not be present;
the subject of an infinitive clause may be realized as a noun phrase
or as a prepositional phrase with for. E.g.: I want you to understand
this. They managed to solve the problem. To err is human. It would be
highly unusual for Peter to admit his mistake. An infinitive clause
may serve a nominal function (as in the examples above), an adjectival
function (This is a drug to betaken at bedtime), or an adverbial
function (Read on to find out more about how the programme works)

http://www.novalearn.com/grammar-glossary/infinitive-clause.htm
-------
Read on to find out more about how the programme works.
means
Read on [in order to] to find out more about how the programme works.
very similar, IMO, to what is present in the original posting:
... would send its leading humorists [in order to] represent it

Also, see:
Post:206122

Re: Clause elements

Buddhaheart — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 02:57:57 GMT

As per your request, the following is an attempt to determine the word class & clause type of your sentence (1):

S: He

Vi: ran, turn

Vt: empty

Vd:

Vf:

Vc:

Full infinitive: to see

Bare infinitive: turn, empty

Verb, sense: see

Preposition: onto; of; in; to

Article, definite: the

Article, indefinite: a

Noun, common: balcony, flat, apartment, Complex, man, clip, direction, guard.

Pronoun, genetive: his

Noun, possessive: Osloâs, Docklandâs(?)

Adjective: exclusive, apartment, .375, chasing

Gerund: chasing

Noun, proper: Docklands(?), Magnum

Conjunction: and

DO: the balcony of his flat in Osloâs exclusive Docklandâs apartment Complex; the clip of a .375 Magnum

IO:

SC:

OC:

ACl: in Osloâs exclusive Docklandâs apartment Complex

AdvCl: to see a man turn ...; in the direction of a chasing guard

Please note Iâm not sure about the infinitive clause "to see a man ..." If the guy ran onto the balcony in order to see the man ..." then itâs infinitive clause functioning as an adverb clause. The subclause "turn and empty ..." is another infinitive clause with "man" as the grammatical subject, and "clip" the object.

The following is the clause breakdown for sentence (2):

Main clause: I was... Mr. Astley

AdvC of reason: as I am convinced ...

Noun clause: he is in love with Polina

Re: "a big enough case" or "a case big enough"?

Mister Micawber — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 02:32:52 GMT

As an adverb, enough follows the adjective: This case is big enough to hold everything. (not enough big). However, as a determiner, enough can go either before or after its noun: Here are cases enough to hold everything / Here are enough cases to hold everything.

This leaves us with the problem of whether big can postmodify: Here's a big case vs (X) Here's a case big. Well, it does not seem to, so we are confronted with A as our only choice.

However, both A and B are abundantly in use-- and for an obvious reason: we can read the infinitive clause as part of a relative clause-- Here's a case [that is] big enough to hold everything. This makes B an equally good answer.

Re: TO BE

Mister Micawber — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 08:15:46 GMT

I understand what you wish to do now, Rajan, but I do not see each of these as two sentences joined at all; they are just different ways of expressing one sentence (i.e. one idea):

1) [The] situation is said to be critical (passive) = Someone said that the situation is critical (active)
2) These types of nouns are said to be in [the] possessive case = Someone said that these nouns are in the possessive case.
3) These trees are not to be found elsewhere (passive) = These trees are not found elsewhere [by anyone] (passive) or No one finds these trees elsewhere (active)

If you want to try to make two sentences of #1 and #2, you can, but it is a meaningless transition:

1a) [The] situation is said to be critical = The situation is critical. Someone said this.
2a) These types of nouns are said to be in [the] possessive case = These types of nouns are in the possessive case. Someone said this.

The third sentence is not amenable even to this much division. These are just examples of infinitive clauses as (1 & 2) comment clauses (said to be) and as (#3) an adverbial.

Re: The verb complement in "John tends to get hungry."

paco2004 — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 12:29:17 GMT

This message is my monologue. I would not speak to anyone. It's just my monologue.

I think it's not wise to relate "complement" to certain parts of speech, i.e., nouns and adjectives. Take a construction of "He seems". It takes various forms of speech.
            Paco seems [foolish] â¦. adjective.
            Paco seems [a fool] â¦.. noun.
            Paco seems [to be a Japanese person] â¦ infinitive clause.
            Paco seems [as if he were mad]. â¦. as-if clause.
As seen above, a variety of forms can be as the complement of "He seems", but indeed all of them can function as the complement of "He seems".

paco