Lesson 9 / Handout 9d – Shortened infinitives


1. shortening to ‘to’ (leaving out the infinitive):

It’s impossible to force people to do what their basic nature tells them not to (do).

It’s impossible to force people to do what their basic nature tells them not to.


2. shortening down to the last element (leaving out to and possibly other elements such as
auxiliary verbs):

I want to eat pineapples, (to) lie in the sun and (to) get brown.

I want to eat pineapples, lie in the sun and get brown.


I hope to be eating pineapples on a beach in Acapulco this time next week and (to be) enjoying
myself.

I hope to be eating pineapples on a beach in Acapulco this time next week and enjoying myself.


She expected it to have been booked and (to have been) paid for already.

She expected it to have been booked and paid for already.


3. shortening of the passive infinitive, after the verbs such as wish, want + object + passive
infinitive:

She wants it (to be) booked straight away.

She wants it booked straight away.


I didn’t want my bags (to be) searched like hers.

I didn’t want my bags searched like hers.


She wants his pocket money (to be) stopped for two months.

She wants his pocket money stopped for two months.

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She expected you to book it. = She thought that you would book it. (…že to zarezervuješ.)

She expected you to have booked it. = She thought that you had booked it. (…že jsi to
zarezervoval.)

- the perfect infinitive relates to time before that of the introductory verb (expected in this
case).


References:

Gethin, H. (1992) Grammar in Context. Harlow: Longman. Chapter 10, pp. 100-103.