§ 27. The tense and aspect distinctions of the infinitive.

Like the tense distinctions of all verbals those of the infinitive are not absolute but relative.

1. The Indefinite Infinitive expresses an action simultaneous with the action expressed by the finite verb, so it may refer to the present, past or future.
I am glad to meet you. (Dreiser)

I was glad to see Mr. Paul. (Ch. Bronte)

Mr. Forsyte will be very glad to see you. (Galsworthy)
2. The Continuous Infinitive also denotes an action simultaneous with that expressed by the finite verb, but it is an action in progress. Thus the continuous, infinitive is not only a tense form, but also an aspect form, expressing both time relations and the manner in which the action is presented.
They happened, at the moment, to be standing near a small conservatory at the end of the garden. (Collins)

В этот момент они как раз стояли около небольшой оранжереи в конце сада.
3. The Perfect Infinitive denotes an action prior to the action expressed by the finite verb.

“I’m glad to have seen you,” he said. (Dreiser)

«Я рад, что повидал вас», — сказал он.

An intimate friend is said to have dined with him that day. (Hardy)

Говорят, что в этот день у него обедал его близкий друг.
After such verbs as to mean, to expect, to intend, to hope used in the Past Indefinite, the Perfect Infinitive shows that the hope or intention was not carried out.
I meant to have gone there.

Я собирался пойти туда (но не пошел).

I meant to have given you five shillings this morning for a Christmas-box,

Sam. I’ll give it you this afternoon, Sam. (Dickens)

Я хотел подарить вам пять шиллингов на рождество, Сэм; я подарю их

вам сегодня, Сэм.
The same meaning can be conveyed by the Past Perfect of the finite verb followed by the Indefinite Infinitive.
I had meant to go there.

He had meant to marry me. (Eliot)

Он имел намерение жениться на мне.
Some English grammarians prefer the latter construction.
N o t e. — The idea, however, is often expressed in the following way: I meant

to go there, but never did.
(On the use of the Perfect Infinitive with modal verbs see Chapter VII, Modal Verbs.)
4. The Perfect Continuous Infinitive denotes an action which lasted, a certain time before the action of the finite verb. It is not only a tense form, but also an aspect form.
For about ten days we seemed to have been living on nothing but cold meat,

cake and bread and jam. (Jerome)

Дней десять мы, казалось, питались только холодным мясом, печеньем и

хлебом с вареньем.
§ 28. The voice distinctions of the infinitive.

The infinitive of transitive verbs has special forms for the Active and the Passive Voice:
It is so glorious to love and to be loved... (Stone)

Так прекрасно любить и быть любимым.
In sentences with the construction there is the infinitive of some verbs can be active or passive without any change in the meaning:
There’s no time to lose. (Dreiser)

There is no time to be lost. (Eliot)

There is nothing to fear (to be feared).
§ 29. The use of the infinitive without the particle to (the bare infinitive).

In Modern English the infinitive is chiefly used with the particle to. In Old English to was a preposition used with the infinitive in the dative case to indicate purpose (to writenne meant ‘in order to write’). Later on to was re-interpreted as the formal sign 6f the infinitive and came to be used not only to denote purpose but in other cases as well. Still there are cases when the so-called bare infinitive

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(the infinitive without the particle to) is used. They are as follows:

1. After auxiliary verbs.
I don’t understand the meaning of this passage.

We shall go there at once.
2. After modal verbs except the verb ought.
If one cannot have what one loves, one must love what one has. (Wilson)
(On the use of the bare infinitive with the verbs dare and need see Chapter VII, Modal Verbs.)

3. After verbs denoting sense perception, such as to hear, to see, to feel, etc.
In a few minutes they heard him ascend the ladder to his own room. (Hardy)

Через несколько минут они услышали, что он поднимается по лестнице в

свою комнату.

I never saw you look so well before. (Hardy)

Я никогда не видел, чтобы вы так хорошо выглядели.

I felt my heart jump. (Heym)

Я почувствовал, что у меня ёкнуло сердце.
N о t e. — The verb to be after the verb to feel is used with the particle to:
I felt this to be very true. (Dickens)

Я чувствовал, что это совершенно верно.
4. After the verb to let.
Let us be the best friends in the world! (Dickens)
5. After the verb to make in the meaning of ‘заставлять’ and the verb to have in the meaning of ‘заставлять, допускать, велеть’.
What makes you think so? (Carter)

Что заставляет вас так думать?

I... had them take my baggage. (Hemingway)

Я... велел им взять мой багаж.
The verb to have in the meaning of ‘допускать’ is chiefly used after the modal verbs will and would in negative sentences.
I will not have you call him Daniel any more. (Trollope)

Я не допущу, чтобы вы продолжали называть его Даниэлем.

I would not have you think that I am selfish. (Trollope)

Я не допущу, чтобы вы считали меня эгоистом.
6. After the verb to know when its meaning approaches that of to see, to observe (the verb to know never has this meaning in the Present Indefinite).
I have so often known a change of medicine work wonders. (Shaw)

Я так часто замечала, что перемена лекарства творит чудеса.
In this case, however, the particle to is sometimes used:
I have never known her to weep before. (Cronin)

Я никогда раньше не видел, чтобы она плакала.
N o t e. — After the verbs to hear, to see, to make and to know in the Passive

Voice the to-Infinitive is used.
He was heard to mention your name several times.

Слышали, как он несколько раз упомянул ваше имя.

They were seen to leave the house early in the morning.

Видели, что они рано утром вышли из дома.

The child was made to obey.

Ребенка заставили слушаться.

Sir Pitt Crawley was never known to give away a shilling or to do a good

action.

Никто никогда не видел, чтобы сэр Питт Кроули дал кому-нибудь шиллинг или сделал доброе дело.
7. After the verb to bid.

I bowed and waited, thinking she would bid me take a seat. (E. Bronte)

Я поклонился и подождал, думая, что она предложит мне сесть.
The verb to bid is obsolete and is not used in colloquial speech.

8. After the expressions had better, would rather, would sooner, cannot but, nothing but, cannot choose but.

---

You had better go to bed and leave the patient to me. (Shaw)

Вы бы лучше легли спать и оставили пациента на моем попечении.

I would rather not speak upon the subject. (Hardy)

Я бы предпочел не говорить на эту тему.

I would sooner die here, at your feet... than see you married to such a one as

that. (Trollope)

Я предпочел бы умереть здесь, у ваших ног... чем видеть вас замужем за

таким человеком.

I cannot but think so. (Trollope)

Я не могу не думать так.

There was nothing left for him to do but watch and wait.

Единственное, что ему оставалось, — это наблюдать и ждать.

She does nothing but make scenes from morning till night. (Shaw)

Она только и делает, что устраивает сцены с утра до ночи.

I looked long at that picture, and could not choose but look. (Ch. Bronte)

Я долго смотрела на эту картину и не могла не смотреть на нее.
Had better, would rather, to do nothing but belong to colloquial English, whereas cannot but and cannot choose but are characteristic of elevated style.

9. In sentences of a special type (infinitive sentences) beginning with why.
Why not come and talk to her yourself? (Reade)

Почему бы вам самой не прийти поговорить с ней?
The particle to is often used without the infinitive if it is easily understood from the context.
He and his three men could not defend Rolling’en even if they wanted to.

(Heym)

Он и трое его солдат не могли бы оборонять Роллинген, даже если бы

захотели.
The particle to may be separated from the infinitive by an adverb; this is the so-called split infinitive. It is hardly ever used in colloquial English.
He was unable, however, to long keep silence. (Galsworthy)

Он был, однако, не в состоянии долго молчать.
§ 30. The functions of the infinitive in the sentence.

The infinitive can be used in different syntactic functions. A single infinitive occurs but seldom: in most cases we find an infinitive phrase, i.e. an infinitive with one or several accompanying words.

1. The infinitive as a subject.
To doubt, under the circumstances, is almost to insult. (Ch. .Bronte)

Сомневаться при таких обстоятельствах — это почти означает нанести

оскорбление.

То acquire knowledge and to acquire it unceasingly, is the first duty of the

artist. (Thurston)

Приобретать знания, и приобретать их непрерывно — вот первый долг

художника.

Even to think of it gave him ineffable torture. (Bennett)

Одна мысль об этом причиняла ему невыразимые страдания.

То be recognized, greeted by some local personage afforded her a joy which

was very great. (Cronin)

Когда ее узнавал и приветствовал какой-нибудь видный местный

житель, она испытывала большую радость.
From these examples we can see that the infinitive as a subject can be rendered in Russian by an infinitive, by a noun, or by a clause.

Though the infinitive as the subject sometimes precedes the predicate, cases when it follows the predicate are far more common; with the infinitive in the latter position, the sentence opens with the introductory it, which serves as an introductory subject. The introductory

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it is not translated into Russian.
Itis useless to discuss the question. (Eliot)

Бесполезно обсуждать этот вопрос.

Itwas pleasant to be driving a car again. (Braine)

Было приятно снова вести машину.
2. The infinitive as a preidicative.
My intention is to get into parliament. (Trollope)

Моя цель — пройти в парламент.
The infinitive can also be used as

---

part of a predicative.
The abode of Mrs. Betty was not easy to find. (Dickens)

Жилище миссис Бетти было нелегко найти.
3. The infinitive as part of a compound verbal predicate.

(a) With modal verbs, modal expressions, and verbs expressing modality the infinitive forms part of a compound verbal modal predicate.
We must not leave him by himself any longer. (Dickens)

The train was to leave at midnight. (Hemingway)

...I intend to lead a better life in the future. (Wilde)
(b) With verbs denoting the beginning, duration, or end of an action the infinitive forms part of a compound verbal aspect predicate.
Imprisonment began to tell upon him. (Dickens)

Before daylight it started to drizzle. (Hemingway)

Clare continued to observe her. (Hardy)

...they gradually ceased to talk. (Twain)
(For detailed treatment of the compound, verbal predicate see Chapter XV, § 16, 17.)
4. The infinitive as an object.
Leila had learned to dance at boarding school. (Mansfield)
After the verbs to allow, to order, to ask, to beg, to request, to implore, to teach, to instruct we often find two objects, one of which is expressed by an infinitive.
After waiting some time, Mrs. Clements... ordered the cabman to drive back to her lodgings. (Collins)

He asked me to walk in. (Collins)

And the curate does not teach you to read and to write then? (E. Bronte)
The infinitive used as an object can be preceded by the introductory object it. The introductory object is not translated into Russian.
He found it utterly impossible to leave the spot. (Hardy)

Он считал совершенно невозможным покинуть это место.
5. The infinitive as part of a complex object.
I never saw you act this way before. (Dreiser)

Я никогда раньше не видел, чтобы вы так поступали.
(A detailed treatment of the infinitive used as part of a complex object is given in § 32.)

6. The infinitive as an attribute.

The use of the infinitive as an attribute is far more extensive in English than in Russian: in Russian it modifies only abstract nouns, whereas in English it modifies both abstract and class nouns, indefinite pronouns (somebody, something, anybody, anything, etc.), ordinal numerals and the adjective last.

The infinitive as an attribute is rendered in Russian by an infinitive (chiefly after abstract nouns), by a subordinate clause or by a finite verb serving as the predicate of a simple sentence (after ordinal numerals and the adjective last).
I have not had time to examine this room yet. (ConanDoyle)

У меня еще не было времени осмотреть эту комнату.

Bathsheba was not a woman... to suffer in silence. (Hardy)

Батшеба была не такая женщина, которая стала бы страдать молча.

I have nobody to say a kind word to me. (Trollope)

У меня нет никого, кто сказал бы мне доброе слово.

Не was the first to offer his hand to the Russians. (Heym)

On первый протянул руку русским.

When his engine broke down, it was the last to be repaired. (Heym)

Когда его машина сломалась, ее починили последней.
The infinitive used as an attribute often has a modal significance — it expresses an action thought of as obligatory or possible.
I’ve got my wife and little boy to look after. (Dreiser)

У меня есть жена и ребенок

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