Multi-Clause Sentencesb. I want them to leave through the window.
c. For them to leave through the window would be insulting to
our host.The infinitives in (58a-c) are predicates and as such assign a semantic
role to some NP. In these three examples, the infinitive predicates assign the
role Agent to them. However, note that them is in the accusative rather than
the nominative case and so seems also to be an object of the higher verbs in
(58a, b) and of for in (58c).
In a bare infinitive, the verb appears in its uninflected form. This form of
infinitival clause occurs after modals, with verbs of perception such as see,
hear, and feel, and with other verbs such as let, make, and do.
(59) a. She may/might/should/will/would/can/could/must leave.
b. Leave immediately is what he should do.
c. I saw John take it.
d. I heard Mehta conduct Beethoven’s Ninth.
e. I felt it move under my hand.
f. We let him come in.
g. We made her leave.
h. Do come in.
In a to-infinitive, the verb appears in its uninflected form after to (which
is simply a marker of the infinitive, not a preposition):
(60) a. To leave now would cause a lot of trouble.
b. We want to leave immediately.
c. The goal is to leave as soon as possible.
d. We chose her to be the next president.
e. The horse to back is Ashkenazy Anchovy.
f. To get there before dawn, we must leave at 2 a.m.
The italicized parts are to-infinitival clauses.
To-infinitives function as subjects (60a), objects (60b), complements
(60c-d), relative clauses (60e), and adverbials (60f).
Exercise
(a) Identify the entire infinitival phrase(s) in each of the following sen-
tences; (b) for each infinitival you identify, say whether it is a bare