Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

CATENATIVE VERB PHRASES (SEEM TO, MANAGE TO)

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Meaning

A catenative verb phrase is one which includes a verb such as appear to, come to,

fail to

, get to, happen to, manage to, seem to and tend to with a lexical verb. These

verbs have meanings similar to some of the modal verbs or meanings similar to

those indicated by aspect choices. However, unlike modal and auxiliary verbs,

they behave like lexical verbs in that they construct their complex forms with

auxiliary do, be and have.

The catenative verbs express modal meanings, indicating whether something is

probable or certain, and aspectual meanings, indicating whether something is

achieved or completed:

‘You 

appear to be a man of many parts,’ she said.

(could also be expressed with a modal adverb such as: You are probably a man

of many parts.)

Do you 

happen to know Suzie’s number?

He 

didn’t manage to get Anna on the telephone.

(He wasn’t able to/couldn’t get Anna on the telephone.)

We 

seem to have been this way before.

We don’t 

tend to go to London very often.