Moluch conf phil 2015-03. indd

An infinitive, an infinitive phrase, or an infinitive 
construction.
The infinitive may serve as an adverbial modifier to a verb. 
In this function it is used to express purpose, consequence, 
comparison, condition and exception. The infinitive as an 
adverbial modifier of purpose is always used with the par-
ticle to.
The number of verbs followed by an infinitive of purpose 
is not restricted and their lexical character may be quite dif-
ferent. But they are all alike in one respect-they all express 
actions deliberately carried out with a definite aim in view. In 
other words, these actions are aimed at the realization of the 
action denoted by the infinitive.
The action of the infinitive follows that of the predicate 
verb and is unaccomplished as yet.
e.g. I dressed and went out to buy the morning paper.
I came in to see if I could help you pack, Alison.
He put his head out of the window to get some fresh air.
The infinitive of purpose may occasionally be preceded by 
the modifiers in order and so as which emphasize the idea of 
purpose (generally they are not needed).
e.g. I was silent for a moment in order to give greater 
force to my next cool off.
Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to 
freshen up and cool off.
So as is quite common with a negative infinitive of pur-
pose, however.
e.g. We had gone into the middle of Hyde Park so as not 
to be overheard.
She hurried so as not to give him time for reflection.
The infinitive may also be preceded by other modifiers. 
Unlike in order and so as which only make the idea of pur-
pose more prominent, the other modifiers serve to add their 
own specific shades of meaning.
e.g. He opened his mouth wide as if to speak.
Christine smiled mockingly turned away, as though to 
go out of the room.
He gave me a little smile as much as to say, “You see, I 
don’t mean any harm.”
He had never cared for that room, hardly going into it 
from one year’s end to another except to take cigars.
They were waiting in there just to see him.
Chris seemed to be always wrapped in a gloomy 
thoughtfulness, rarely spoke, and then as a rule, only to 
quote some poet or philosopher.
He told his joke merely to gain time.
The infinitive of purpose generally follows the predicate 
verb. But if special stress is laid on the infinitive of purpose, it 
may be placed at the head of the sentence. However, it is not 
often found in this position.
e.g. To relieve my feelings I wrote a letter to Robert.
I forgive you. To prove it I’ll drop in at your lab some 
time.
Occasionally the infinitive of purpose is placed between 
the subject and the predicate.
e.g. Ann, to pass the time, had left her kitchen to see 
whether Mr. Faber was all right.
The infinitive as adverbial modifier of consequence is used 
with the particle to. It is structurally dependent — we find it 
in a peculiar sentence pattern, the first part of which is (he) 
had only to… or (he) had but to…
e.g. I had only to look at mother to know the answer.
He had only to open the door to find the anxiously 
waiting for him.
Here was romance and it seemed that you had but to 
stretch out your hand to touch it.
In this sentence pattern the action expressed by the pred-
icate verb- it is sufficient to perform the first action for the 
second action to follow.
The use of the infinitive of consequence is frequent.
The infinitive as an adverbial modifier of comparison is 
also structurally dependent. It is preceded by than and mod-
ifies a predicate group containing the comparative degree of 
an adjective or an adverb. The infinitive is generally used with 
the particle to, tough it may be sometimes found without it.
e.g. She seemed more anxious to listen to he troubles of 
other than to discuss her own.

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5. Общее и прикладное языкознание
I should have known better than to expect to find it.
Damn it, I’ve got more important things to do than 
look at the sea.
This function is not of frequent occurrence.
The infinitive (with to) may serve an adverbial modifier of 
condition. In this case it expresses a condition under which 
the action of the predicate verb can be realized. The predicate 
verb is, as a rule, used in the form of the Conditional Mood.
References:
1. M. Blokh. A Course in Theoretical English Grammar. M., 1983 p.280
2. M. Bryant. A Functional English Grammar. Boston, 1995 p.270
3. Ch. Fries. The Structure of English. N.Y., 1952 p.290
4. Z. Harris. String Analysis of Sentence Structure. The Hague, 1962 p.270
5. B. Ilyish. The Structure of Modern English. М. — Л., 1965 p.260