Part 17
3. This is your last chance to see Chicago, Tom.
4. Day after day mother sat at the east window engaged in her favorite pastime—making something dainty and beautiful with her needle.
5. Almost all persons who travel in Switzerland have a great desire to go to the top of at least one of the towering peaks they see about them.
6. Now bring us something to eat. I have not patience to wait, for I am ravenously hungry.
7. The first tracks to meet our eyes were the delicate footprints of the red squirrel.
8. The Colonel’s only form of exercise, riding horseback every evening, made him a familiar figure throughout the city.
9. Nothing pleased the dog more than an order to go and fetch the cow.
10. To the deer a mystery means something to be solved.
11. A strange longing to follow the swan took possession of each of the young birds.
12. A queer freak of my chewink was her determination to get her feet into her food.
13. Never lose an opportunity to see anything beautiful.
14. This father was the comrade of his son, made so by the memory of his own boyhood sports,—playing baseball on the common, swimming in the lake off Miller’s Point, skating out to Garlic Island, and gathering hickory nuts and hazelnuts in the autumn woods.
Classify the dependent clauses in sentences, 1, 2, 5, 9. Tell the part of speech and use of _figure_, sentence 8.
LXXXIV. INFINITIVES AS PARTS OF “DOUBLE OBJECTS.” AS MODIFIERS OF VERBS
=331.= In the sentence, “I want my friends to believe in me,” we find the verb to be _want_. If we ask the question _want what_? the answer is the group of words _my friends to believe in me_; hence we are sure that this group of words is the object.
But this object is different from any group of words that we have studied hitherto. It does not consist of a base word and modifiers, but instead it consists of two parts that are equally important. These are _my friends_ and the infinitive phrase _to believe in me_. The phrase is not a modifier of _friends_, but has the logical relation of predicate to _friends_, as may be proved by changing the whole group of words to a noun clause, _that my friends should believe in me_.
When the object of a verb consists of two parts, a noun element and an infinitive, having to each other the logical relation of subject and predicate, we call the whole group a =double object=.
=332.= Although the relation between the two parts of a double object is logically that of subject and predicate, still this relation is not grammatically expressed. A double object does not make sense standing alone, and we cannot speak of the infinitive in a double object as a predicate, for an infinitive cannot assert. It is customary, however, to speak of the noun element in a double object as the subject of the infinitive. The subject of an infinitive is always in the objective case, as may be plainly seen by substituting a pronoun for the noun used as subject. In the sentence quoted, the pronoun that might take the place of _my friends_ is the objective pronoun _them_.
=333.= An infinitive in _-ing_ is often used as part of a double object; as, “I hear their voices _ringing_ in merry childish glee,” “I can see his gallant figure _coming_ down the road.”
=334.= Notice that a double object is not two objects of equal rank, as in the sentence, “I want _peace and quiet_;” but is one object consisting of two equal parts so closely related, that neither of these parts could be the object if used without the other.
=335.= When the infinitive with _to_ is used after the verbs _hear_ and _see_, as well as after _feel_, _let_, _make_, the _to_ of the infinitive is omitted; as, “Did you hear me (_to_) _rap_ at your door?” “Let us (_to_) _be_ true to one another,” “The mosquitoes made us (_to_) _go_ indoors.”
Find and explain the double objects in each of these three sentences.
=336.= When a sentence containing a double object is changed to the passive voice, the noun element of the double object becomes the subject of the passive verb, and the infinitive phrase becomes the subjective complement of the verb. Change this sentence to the passive voice and explain the change, “We expected John to decorate the banquet room.”
=337.= We have seen that the infinitive may be used as the complement of a verb in several ways: it may be the direct object of a verb, or the subjective complement, or part of a double object. There is another very common relation of the infinitive to a verb, as shown in the sentence, “Some persons live to eat.” The infinitive _to eat_ is in the predicate, but it is not an object of the verb _live_, neither is it a subjective complement. How do we know this? As the infinitive answers the question _for what purpose_? we conclude that it is a modifier of the verb _live_. Furthermore, it could be expanded into the adverbial clause of purpose, _that they may eat_.
The infinitive denoting purpose is very common, as seen in the familiar sentences: “We go to school to learn,” “We stood up to see,” “I sat down to rest.”
=Summary.=—An infinitive phrase and a noun, having the logical relation of subject and predicate, may form the =double object= of some transitive verbs.
An infinitive phrase denoting the purpose of an action may be used to modify a verb.
=Exercise 1.=—Write sentences containing double objects of the verbs _cause_, _desire_, _expect_, _feel_, _hear_, _let_, _make_, _order_, _see_, _wish_.
Explain why there are no double objects in these sentences:—
1. They could get no water to drink.
2. He has an ax to grind.
3. We found plenty to eat.
4. She bought a rose to wear.
5. I made a cake to sell.
=Exercise 2.=—Explain the use of all infinitive phrases in these sentences. Classify the infinitives.
1. The boy made up his mind that he would take two of the whelps home with him to be brought up in the ways of civilization.
2.
In happy homes he saw the light Of household fires gleam warm and bright.
3. More rarely a fox or a hyena quickened his gallop to study the intruder at a safe distance.
4. When the car stopped and I looked up at the window with the pink geranium, I saw mother waiting to welcome me.
5. The whole family went to the station to see us off.
6. I do not quite know what caused me to lift my head from the friendly shelter of the blanket.
7. He felt his swift craft quiver with life beneath him in response to the rhythmic stroke of the oarsmen.
8. Jupiter bustled about to prepare some marsh hens for supper.
9. To keep the artillery dry, we stuffed wads of loose hemp into the muzzles, and fitted wooden pegs to the touch holes.
10. Down the elm-bordered road we two walked toward the sunset, and watched the mists rising ghostlike from the fields.
11. Mowgli heard the sound rumble, and rise, and fall, and die off in a creepy sort of whine behind him.
12. At recess the next noon the Centipedes met in a corner of the schoolyard to talk over the proposed lark.
13. Our Heavenly Father himself has planted that pea, and made it grow and blossom to bring joy to you and hope to me, my blessed child.
14. Nearly all the finest diamonds in the world are brought to Amsterdam to be cut into shape.
15. It was Long Tom who taught Harvey to shoot at a mark with a revolver.
16. He’s gone to fight the French for King George upon his throne.
17. We heard the meadow larks singing their wistful songs, but always instead of the black hearts upon their yellow breasts they showed us just the two white feathers in their tails.
Change sentences 2, 4, 10, 11, 13, 17 to the passive voice, and explain the change in the use of the infinitive.
LXXXV. OTHER USES OF INFINITIVES
=338.= The most frequent use of the infinitive in _-ing_ is as the object of a preposition; as, “I am tired of _doing_ nothing,” “He earned a living by _sharpening_ scissors.”
=339.= The infinitive in _-ing_, like the noun, may be the object of any preposition, but the infinitive with _to_ is used as the object of very few prepositions, only _about_, _except_, _but_, and _save_, the last two meaning _except_.
In the sentence, “He ate nothing but bananas,” the object of the preposition _but_ must be a noun because it must be the name of a food. But in the sentence, “He did nothing but play tennis,” the object of _but_ must be an infinitive because it must be the name of an action.
NOTE.—We often hear the expression “I was about to say.” In this familiar idiom the prepositional phrase _about to say_ is used as the subjective complement of the verb _was_. How do we know this? What is the use of the infinitive _to say_?
=340.= In the sentence, “The gentleman drew out the chair for the lady to sit down,” if we ask the question _for what?_ we get the answer _the lady to sit down_, hence the group of words _the lady to sit down_ must be the object of the preposition _for_. But this group of words consists of two parts, _the lady_ and the infinitive phrase _to sit down_, which have the logical relation of subject and predicate, hence we conclude that the preposition _for_ may take a double object.
=341.= The sentences, “Sheep are apt,” “I am sorry,” “The traveler was glad,” are all incomplete. We wish to know in what respect sheep are apt, what I am sorry about, what the traveler was glad of. In other words, the adjectives _apt_, _sorry_, and _glad_ need a modifier to make the sentence complete in meaning. This modifier may be an infinitive, “Sheep are apt _to get lost_,” “I am sorry _to leave Warwick_,” “The traveler was glad _to see his home again_.” We learn from these sentences that an infinitive phrase may modify an adjective.
=Exercise.=—Complete the following sentences by infinitive phrases. What do your phrases modify? How do you know?
1. This child is too young—
2. A man of twenty-five is old enough—
3. The water was so deep as—
4. The general was anxious—
5. Some lessons are not easy—
=342.= The infinitive may be used independently; as, “_To be frank_, I do not like it.” “_To make a long story short_, we were utterly defeated.”
=343.= A common error is the use of the perfect infinitive for the present. It is proper to say, “I ought to have gone,” when we mean that the time of the going was in the past; as, “I ought to have gone then, or yesterday, or a year ago.” But when we mean that the going is at the present time or is to be in the future, then we should use the present infinitive, and say, “I ought to go.”
What is the difference in the meaning of the following pairs of sentences?
1. I am sorry to offend you. I am sorry to have offended you. 2. I am glad to see you. I am glad to have seen you. 3. The train is reported to be late. The train is reported to have been late. 4. The man is said to be a candidate. The man is said to have been a candidate.
It is evident from the four pairs of sentences above that some verbs in the present tense may be followed by either a present or a perfect infinitive. This is likewise true of some verbs in the past tense. We say, “He seemed to be sleeping,” meaning that he was sleeping at the time we noted his appearance. We also say, “He seemed to have been sleeping,” meaning that he had slept before we noted his appearance.
What is the difference in the meaning of the following pairs of sentences:—
1. Washington was never known to fight a duel. Hamilton was known to have fought a duel. 2. The ship was reported to be wrecked. The ship was reported to have been wrecked. 3. The child appeared to lead the old man. The child appeared to have led the old man.
Since the verbs _desire_, _expect_, _hope_, _want_, and _wish_ refer to something in the present or the future, but never in the past, they cannot be followed by a perfect infinitive. It is absurd to say, “I hoped to have seen you,” “I expected to have gone,” “I wished to have stayed.” We should say:—
I desire to go. I desired to go.
I expect to be there. I expected to be there.
I hope to pass. I hoped to pass.
I want to know. I wanted to know.
I wish to speak. I wished to speak.
=Summary.=—The infinitive phrase may be used as the object of a preposition. The preposition _for_ may take a double object.
The infinitive phrase may modify an adjective.
The infinitive phrase may be used independently.
=Exercise.=—Explain the use of each infinitive phrase. Classify each infinitive.
1. The cat was just about to spring upon the window sill where the bird cage sat, when Paul shouted out a warning.
2. I am perfectly willing to dine in the kitchen beside this cool north window.
3. The gay youths spent their time in walking, hunting, fishing, feasting, and dancing.
4. It was so cold at Petoskey in July that the hotel proprietor furnished a large lamp for us to heat our room by.
5. The cherries grew too high to be picked except by the robins.
6. My lot was indeed a hard one; I was too old to play out of doors with my brothers, and too young to go to parties with my sisters.
7. After supper, the boy who has done nothing all day but turn grindstone, and spread hay, and run his little legs off at everybody’s beck and call, is sent on some errand or some household chore lest time may hang heavy on his hands.
8. Bark is only good to sharpen claws.
9. John was hungry enough to have eaten the New England Primer.
10. Franklin was employed in cutting wicks for the candles, filling the molds for cast candles, attending the shop, going of errands, etc.
11. To tell the truth, I prefer to stay at home.
12. The only way to make the world better is for each man to do his best.
13. A dog is good to bite peddlers and small children, and to run out and yelp at wagons that pass by, and to howl all night when the moon shines.
14. To sum up, the infinitive is used chiefly as a noun, but also as an adjective and an adverb.
15. The teacher’s eyes glanced half a dozen different ways at once,—a habit probably acquired from watching the boys.
16.
None knew thee but to love thee, Nor named thee but to praise.
17. To see the sparks rush like swarms of red bees skyward through the smoke is an experience long to be remembered.
18. To make way for hemp the magnificent forests of Kentucky were felled.
19. The crow and the blackbird seem to love these plants.
20. It takes a hundred days to lift out of the tiny seed these powerful hollow stalks.
21. The seeds fall to the ground, there to be folded in against the time when they shall rise again.
Classify the dependent clauses in sentence 1. What is the object of _except_ in sentence 5?
LXXXVI. SUMMARY OF INFINITIVES
=344.=
I. DEFINITION.—An infinitive is a verbal noun.
II. FORMS. 1. The infinitive with _to_. (a) Intransitive verbs. _Present_, to go, to be going. _Perfect_, to have gone, to have been going. (b) Transitive verbs. _Present_, to see, to be seeing, to be seen. _Perfect_, to have seen, to have been seeing, to have been seen. 2. The infinitive in _-ing_. (a) Intransitive verbs. _Present_, going. _Perfect_, having gone, having been going. (b) Transitive verbs. _Present_, seeing, being seen. _Perfect_, having seen, having been seeing, having been seen. III. USES. 1. As a =noun=. (a) _Subject of a verb._ To err is human. Hunting is a sport. (b) _Object of a verb._ He expects to win. They stopped working. (c) _Subjective complement._ My desire is to own a boat. His task is feeding the sheep. (d) _Appositive._ His idea, to use coal ashes, was carried out. His work, running a machine, is monotonous. (e) _Object of a preposition._ The patient did nothing but eat and sleep. The child was praised for telling the truth. 2. As an =adjective=. (a) _Modifying a noun._ I have a garden to make. (b) _Completing a verb._ These boats are not to let. 3. As an =adverb=. (a) _Modifying a verb._ I went back to get some matches. (b) _Modifying an adjective._ We are sure to succeed. 4. As part of a =double object=. (a) _Of a verb._ I made her tell me. (b) _Of a preposition._ I made room for her to sit with me. 5. =Independent use.= To speak plainly, I don’t believe it.
LXXXVII. ANALYSIS OF SENTENCES CONTAINING INFINITIVE PHRASES
=345.= The infinitive phrase is analyzed very much like a predicate. First, the infinitive should be given as the base word; then its complement and modifiers should be given.
MODEL.—_By the law of the jungle the tiger has no right to change his quarters without fair warning._
This is a simple, declarative sentence.
The subject is _the tiger_. The predicate is _has by the law of the jungle no right to change his quarters without fair warning_.
The predicate verb is _has_; it is completed by the direct object _no right to change his quarters without fair warning_, and then modified by the prepositional phrase _by the law of the jungle_.
The base word of the object is the noun _right_; it is modified by the infinitive phrase _to change his quarters without fair warning_, and then denied by the adjective _no_.
The base word of the infinitive phrase is the infinitive _to change_; it is completed by the direct object _his quarters_ and modified by the prepositional phrase _without fair warning_. The base word of the object is the noun _quarters_, modified by the possessive pronoun _his_. The base word of the object of the preposition _without_ is the infinitive _warning_, which is modified by the adjective _fair_.
The base word of the object of the preposition _by_ is the noun _law_, which is modified by the prepositional phrase _of the jungle_ and the article _the_.
=Exercise.=—Analyze the following sentences:—
1. Turning grindstones to grind scythes is one of those heroic but unobtrusive occupations for which one gets no credit.
2. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.
3. When Kotick felt his skin tingle all over, his mother told him he was learning the feel of the water.
4. Mother made and embroidered a white linen pocket for me to wear at my belt.
5. The neighbors and friends did not wait for an invitation to go to the house of the young wife, so impatient were they to see her treasures.
6. The Boy had no desire to investigate further, with the risk of finding the lynx at home.
7. It seems hard any day to think what to have for dinner.
8. The next thing was to cord up the trunk, and Mr. Peterkin tried to move it.
9. I have seen wild bees and butterflies feeding at a height of 13,000 feet above the sea.
10. If you wear an automobile veil to pick cherries in, I must get an automobile to take you to the cherry trees.
11. No person but yourself is permitted to lift this stone or enter the cave.
12. Very sweet were the child’s ways of loving her father,—putting flowers on his study table, learning to read so that she could read his books, reaching up to rub her cheek against his, praying for him, and letting him put her to bed.
13. The Oldest Inhabitant refused to go to bed on any terms, but persisted in sitting up in a rocking-chair until daybreak.
14. The Eskimo never knows when his own time may come to beg.
15. Fate tried to conceal him by naming him Smith.
16. The only department of life in which Mr. Randall failed to shine was the making of sufficient money to live upon.
17. He saw an eagle swoop across the gigantic hollow, but the great bird dwindled to a dot ere it was halfway over.
18. After she began wearing the bracelet, she was unwilling to go without it even for a day.
19. Hewing wood and sawing plank leave me no time to take part in disputes.
20. The one object of Polly’s life was to get out of her cage.
21. The skipper had taken his little daughter to bear him company.
22. Every boy is anxious to be a man.
23. A man has no more right to say a rude thing to another than to knock him down.
24. To travel in Switzerland it is generally necessary to cross the mountains, to go around the sides, or to go through them.
25. Even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know Scrooge.
26. Let dogs delight to bark and bite.
27. When a bear kills a sheep, he skins it deftly and has the politeness to leave the pelt in a neat bundle, just to indicate to the farmer that he has been robbed by a gentleman.
28. The first tracks to meet their eyes were the delicate footprints of the red squirrel.
29. It is not good to make a jest of thy teacher.
30. Angels seemed to have sat with Ernest by the fireside.
31. My joy was greater than I can express when I saw the tiger rise and slink into the jungle.
LXXXVIII. PARTICIPLES
=346.= In Lesson LIV we learned that the perfect tenses of any verb are formed by combining certain auxiliaries with the =past participles= of the verb; as, “I have _heard_,” “I had _heard_,” “I shall have _heard_.” We learned also that the past participle is one of the principal parts of a verb.
In Lesson LV we learned that the passive voice of any transitive verb is formed by adding its past participle to the conjugation of the verb _be_; as, “It is _caught_,” “It was _caught_,” “It will be _caught_.”
In Lesson LVI we learned that the past participle of a verb may be used like an adjective as the subjective complement of a verb; as, “The potatoes seem _done_,” “The flowers are _withered_ now.”
=347.= In Lesson LVII we learned that the =present participle= of a verb always ends in _-ing_, and that this participle is used in forming the progressive conjugation, as, “I am _sleeping_,” “I was _sleeping_,” “I shall be _sleeping_.”
We are ready now to study participles in all their relations.
=348.= Intransitive verbs have four participles:—
PRESENT PAST PERFECT
coming come having come _Progressive_ having been coming
Transitive verbs have six participles:—
PRESENT PAST PERFECT
_Active_ writing having written _Active Progressive_ having been writing[1] _Passive_ being written written having been written
[1] This form is rarely used.