5. God never made his work for man to mend.

Explanation. The principal term of the phrase for man to mend is not man, but man to mend.

6. For a man to be proud of his learning is the greatest ignorance.

The infinitive phrase may be used as an explanatory modifier.

7. It is easy to find fault.

find

fault

is easy

Explanation. The infinitive phrase to find fault explains the subject it. Read the sentence without it, and you will see the real nature of the phrase. This use of it as a substitute for the real subject is a very common idiom of our language. It allows the real subject to follow the verb, and thus gives the sentence balance of parts.

8. It is not the way to argue down a vice to tell lies about it.

9. It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. 10. It is not all of life to live.

11. This task, to teach the young, may become delightful.

The infinitive phrase may be used as objective complement.

12. He made me wait.

Explanation. The infinitive wait (here used without to) completes made and relates to me. He made-wait me detained me.

=

He

See "Introductory Hints," Lesson 31, and participles used as objective complements, Lesson 37. Compare I sau

him do it with I saw him doing it. Compare also He made the stick bend-equaling He made-bend (= bent) the stick -with He made the stick straight-equaling He madestraight (= straightened) the stick.

The relation of these objective complements to me, him, and stick may be more clearly seen by changing the form of the verb, thus: I was made to wait; He was seen to do it, He was seen doing it; The stick was made to bend; The stick was made straight.

13 We found the report to be true. *

14. He commanded the bridge to be lowered.†

15. I saw the leaves stir.‡

* Some prefer to treat the report to be true as an object clause be cause it is equivalent to the clause that the report is true. But many expressions logically equivalent are entirely different in grammatical construction; as, I desire his promotion; I desire him to be promoted; I desire that he should be promoted. Besides, to teach that him is the subject, and to be promoted the predicate, of a clause would certainly be confusing.

† Notice the difference in construction between this sentence and the sentence He commanded him to lower the bridge. Him represents the one to whom the command is given, and to lower the bridge is the object complement. This last sentence He commanded him that he should lower the bridge. Compare He told me to go with He told (to) me a story; also He taught me to read with He taught (to) me reading.

=

In such sentences as (13) and (14) it may not always be expedient to demand that the pupil shall trace the exact relations of the infinitive phrase to the preceding noun and to the predicate verb. If preferred, in such cases, the infinitive and its assumed subject may be treated as a kind of phrase object, equivalent to a clause. This construction is similar to the Latin "accusative with the infinitive."

See pages 86 and 87, foot-note.

Explanation. Stir is an infinitive without the to.

16. Being persuaded by Poppæa, Nero caused his mother Agrippina, to be assassinated.

The infinitive phrase may be used independently.*

Explanation. In the diagram the independent element must stand by itself.

1. England's debt, tout it in round numbers, is $4,000,000,000.

2. Every object has several faces, so to speak.

3. To make a long story short, Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette were executed.

Infinitives and Participles

MISCELLANEOUS

4. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. 5. We require clothing in the summer to protect the body from the heat of the sun.

6. Rip Van Winkle could not account for everything's having changed so.

* These infinitive phrases can be expanded into dependent clauses. See Lesson 79.

For the infinitive after as, than, etc., see Lesson 63. Participles and infinitives unite with other verbs to make compound forms; as, have walked, shall walk.

7. This sentence is not too difficult for me to analyze. 8. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole. 9. Conscience, her first law broken, wounded lies. 10. To be, or not to be, -that is the question.

11. I supposed him to be a gentleman.

12. Food, keeping the body in health by making it warm and repairing its waste, is a necessity.

13. I will teach you the trick to prevent your being

cheated another time.

14. She threatened to go beyond the sea, to throw herself out of the window, to drown herself.

15. Busied with public affairs, the council would sit for hours smoking and watching the smoke curl from their pipes to the ceiling.

Direction. Change the infinitives in these sentences into participles, and the participles into infinitives:

Notice that to, the only preposition used with the infinitive, is changed to toward, for, of, at, in, or on, when the infinitive is changed to a participle.

Direction. Improve these sentences by changing the participles into infinitives, and the infinitives into participles:

1. We began ascending the

mountain.

2. He did not recollect to have paid it.

3. I commenced to write a

Direction.
Model.

letter.

4. It is inconvenient being

poor.

5. It is not wise complaining.

Vary these sentences as in the model:

Rising early is healthful; To rise early is healthful; It is healthful to rise early; For one to rise early is healthful.

(Notice that the explanatory phrase after it is not set off by the comma.)

1. Reading good books is 3. Slandering is base.

Direction. Write nine sentences, in three of which the infinitive phrase shall be used as an adjective, in three as an adverb, and in three as a noun.

Direction. Write eight sentences in which these verbs shall be followed by an infinitive without the to:

Model. We saw the sun sink behind the mountain.

Bid, dare, feel, hear, let, make, need, and see.