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73
I am glad
I was glad
I shall be glad
to have seen you again.
The non-perfect infinitive is vaguer and more flexible in meaning and its meaning may easily be modified
by the context. Thus, it may denote an action preceding or following the action denoted by the finite verb. It
expresses succession, that is indicates that the action follows the action denoted by the finite verb, as in the
following cases:
1) When used as an adverbial modifier of purpose:
She bit her lip to keep back a smile.
I came here to help you, not to quarrel with you.
2) When used as part of a compound verbal predicate:
You must do it at once.
You know, she is beginning to learn eagerly.
3) When used as an object of a verb of inducement:
He ordered the man to come at three.
She always asks me to help her when she is busy.
He will make you obey.
The category of aspect
§ 99. The category of aspect finds its expression in contrasting forms of the common aspect and the
continuous aspect. The difference between the category of aspect in finite verb forms and in the infinitive is that
in the infinitive it is consistently expressed only in the active voice:
to speak
to have spoken
- to be speaking
- to have been speaking
The passive voice has practically no aspect oppositions. (See Table IV). The semantics of the category of
aspect in the infinitive is the same as in the finite verb: the continuous aspect forms denote an action in progress
at some moment of time in the present, past, or future; the meaning of the common aspect forms is flexible and
is easily modified by the context.
The two aspects differ in their frequency and functioning; the continuous aspect forms are very seldom used
and cannot perform all the functions in which the common aspect forms are used. They can function only as:
1) subject (To be staying with them was a real pleasure.);
2) object (I was glad to be waking.)
3) part of a compound verbal predicate (Now they must be getting back; The leaves begin to be growing
yellowish.)
The continuous aspect forms do not occur in the function of adverbial - modifiers and attributes.
The category of voice
§ 100. The infinitive of transitive verbs has the category of voice, similar to all other verb forms:
to say
to have said
-
to be said
-
to have been said