(1) To yield is no disgrace.

(2) To lead his party was his highest ambition.
(3) He tried to walk slowly.

(4) They intended to visit the museum.

In these four sentences we have four infinitives, to yield, to lead, to walk, and to visit. Each of these infinitives expresses the idea of action, but not as proceeding from any particular person or thing. No one of them has subject. That they have strong assertive function, however, is evident from the fact that they may govern nouns in the objective case, as, for example, party in the second sentence and museum in the fourth sentence, and by the fact that they may be modified by adverbs, as, for example, slowly in the third sentence. On the other hand, it is clear that the infinitives also have the value of nouns. To yield is plainly the subject of the sentence in To yield is no disgrace; to lead is the simple subject of its sentence, and to walk and to visit are the objects respectively of tried and intended. The infinitive, therefore, may be used

as a noun,

(a) as the subject of a sentence:

EXAMPLES: To succeed is not the main end of existence.
To lead a life of ease weakens the spirit.

(b) as a predicate nominative:

EXAMPLES: His habit is to pass here daily.
Our work is to guard the exit.

The intention was to discover the source.

(c) as the object of the verb:

EXAMPLES: He wants to come.

They attempted to reach the shore.
The officer threatened to expose him.
They commanded him to go home.

(d) as the retained object in the passive voice:
EXAMPLES: He was commanded to go home.

He was asked to deliver the message by the secretary.

The plaintiff was advised to drop the case.

(e) as the object of a preposition:

EXAMPLES: He was willing to do anything except to apologize.

There was nothing to do but to go home.

They were about to turn back.

166. Sign of the Infinitive.-The infinitive is usually preceded by the preposition to, which is then inseparably united to it. This word is called the Sign of the Infinitive. The rules determining the use of the sign of the infinitive have to be learned largely by habit; in some instances the sign may be used or omitted as the speaker or writer pleases, in others it must be omitted, and in still others it must be expressed. Thus we may say either There was nothing to do but to go home or There was nothing to do but go home. In a sentence like I saw him run, however, the sign may not be used with the infinitive run, although when the sentence is turned into the passive form and the infinitive stands as the retained object, it must then have the sign-He was seen to run.

167. Split Infinitive. It was stated in the last section that the sign of the infinitive, when it is used, is inseparably united to the infinitive. This is the general rule, and good usage requires that nothing shall stand between the infinitive and its sign. Occasionally, however, an adverb appears between the infinitive and its sign, and although this construction, known as the Split Infinitive, is usually condemned by the rhetoricians and grammarians as bad

English, examples of it are found in good writers and are heard in good speakers. It sometimes has the advantage of placing the adverb in just the position in which it is wanted. On the other hand, it will usually be found that another position of the adverb will answer as well, or often better, and the safe rule is never to place anything between the infinitive and its sign.

EXAMPLES:

(1) We shall have to indefinitely postpone our trip,
or, better,

We shall have to postpone our trip indefinitely.

(2) They shall be authorized to immediately begin this work,
or, better,

They shall be authorized to begin this work immediately.
(3) They are not yet strong enough to seriously affect the re-
sult, or, better,

They are not yet strong enough seriously to affect the re

sult.

(4) Their purpose is to so arouse public opinion that the govern-
ment will have to yield,

or, better,

Their

purpose is so to arouse public opinion that the government will have to yield.

168. The Infinitive as Adjective.—The infinitive may also modify nouns by limiting or defining the idea expressed by the noun. In such constructions the infinitive partakes of the function of the adjective. Note the use of the infinitive in the following sentences:

Without Infinitive.

(1) His ability is unquestioned.

(2) His haste was his ruin.

With Adjective Infinitive. His ability to rule is unquestioned.

His haste to become rich was his

ruin.

1

(3) I like his readiness.

I like his readiness to help those in need.

In the first group of sentences we have the unmodified noun ideas represented by the nouns ability, haste, and readiness; in the second group these nouns are limited by the infinitives and their dependencies. Thus, in the first sentence, to rule shows what kind of ability is meant; in the second sentence to become rich does the same for haste, and in the third to help those in need defines more specifically the meaning of readiness. Since the infinitives are thus used to modify the meanings of nouns, they must be regarded as combining the function of the adjective with that of the verb. An infinitive adjective phrase like to help those in need is, of course, capable of further analysis, those being the object of to help, and in need a prepositional adjective phrase modifying those.

169. The Infinitive as Adverb.-The infinitive may also modify a verb or adverb. Observe the value of the infinitives in the following sentences:

(1) We came to see the game.

(2) Tom raised his hand to guard his face.

(3) They waited to find out what would come of it.

The verbal function of these infinitives is plain, since to see governs the game as object, to guard governs his face, and to find out has for its object the relative clause what would come of it. At the same time to see modifies came, to guard modifies raised, and to find out modifies waited, in each case by indicating the purpose of the action. On this side of their use the infinitives are therefore to be regarded as adverbs limiting the verbs of the sentences,

170. Infinitives Modifying Adjectives.-Another use of the infinitive is that according to which it limits the meaning of an adjective. As such it performs the function of an adverbial modifier of the adjective.

EXAMPLES:

(1) A man able to work hard is needed.

(2) He was ready to try.

(3) I am glad to see you.

(4) Is it good to eat?

(5) That is easy to do.

In these sentences the infinitives modify respectively the adjectives able, ready, glad, good, and easy. On its verbal side the infinitive to work is modified by the adverb hard, and the infinitive to see takes an object, you. They have, therefore, the double value of verbs and of adverbial modifiers of adjectives.

171. Infinitives in -ing.-The infinitive as noun has two forms. It appears as the simple form of the verb with its sign to, and in the second form with the ending -ing. Compare the following two groups of sentences:

(1) To carry wood is hard work.
(2) To eat hurriedly is a bad habit.
(3) To see is to believe.

Carrying wood is hard work. Eating hurriedly is a bad habit. Seeing is believing. It will be seen from this comparison that the words carrying, eating, and seeing have exactly the same function as to carry, to eat, and to see. The word carrying has an object, wood; eating is modified by an adverb, hurriedly, and in all three sentences both the infinitives with to and in -ing are governed as nouns. Like the infinitive with to, the infinitive in -ing may be,