Practical Grammar and Composition Part 23

_Wherever participles or gerunds are improperly used in the following sentences, correct the sentences so as to avoid such impropriety.

See --107 for rule as to punctuation:_

1. Having a.s.sented to your plan, you try to hold me responsible.

2. He asked him to make the plans, owing to the need of an experienced architect.

3. It was decided to send his son abroad being anxious for his health.

4. On hearing that, a new plan was made.

5. Moving slowly past our window, we saw a great load of lumber.

6. Intending to go to the theater, the whole afternoon was spent in town.

7. He was taken into the firm, thus gaining an increased income.

8. Not having the lesson prepared, he told John to stay after cla.s.s.

9. No letter was written for more than a week, causing considerable anxiety.

10. Expecting us to come, we disappointed him.

11. After telling me the story, I left him.

12. By reading aloud to the cla.s.s, they do not gain much.

13. He had to wait several hours for the train, thus causing him to lose a great deal of valuable time.

14. After listening to his lecture for an hour he became tiresome.

15. We listened attentively to his lecture, thus showing our interest.

72. INFINITIVES. The Infinitives are formed by the word _to_ and some part of the verb or of the verb and auxiliary. For _see_ and _play_ as model verbs, the infinitives are as follows:

PRESENT ACTIVE PRESENT Pa.s.sIVE to see to be seen to play to be played

PRESENT PERFECT ACTIVE PRESENT PERFECT Pa.s.sIVE to have seen to have been seen to have played to have been played

The word _to_ is frequently omitted. In general, other verbs follow the same endings and forms as do the infinitives above.

It is necessary to know the difference between the two tenses, since the misuse of tenses leads to a certain cla.s.s of errors.

73. SEQUENCE OF INFINITIVE TENSES. The wrong tense of the infinitive is frequently used. The following rules should be observed:

1. If the action referred to by the infinitive is of the same time or of later time than that indicated by the predicate verb, the PRESENT INFINITIVE should be used.

2. When the action referred to by the infinitive is regarded as completed at the time indicated by the predicate verb, the PERFECT INFINITIVE should be used.

Examine the following examples:

Wrong: _I should have liked to have gone._

Right: _I should have liked to go_ (same or later time).

Right: _I should like to have gone_ (earlier time).

Wrong: _It was bad to have been discovered._

Right: _It is bad to have been discovered_ (earlier time).

Right: _It was bad to be discovered_ (same or later time).

Right: _She did not believe her son to have committed the crime_ (earlier time).

Right: _When he died, he believed himself to have been defeated for the office_ (earlier time.)

EXERCISE 54

_In the following sentences choose the proper form from those italicized:_

1. I was sorry _to have heard to hear_ of John's death.

2. Should you have been willing _to go to have gone_ with us?

3. The game was intended _to be played to have been played_ yesterday.

4. I intended _to write to have written_ long ago.

5. He wished _to have met to meet_ you.

6. I should have liked _to meet to have met_ you.

7. Mary was eager _to have gone to go_.

8. Nero was seen _to have fiddled to fiddle_ while Rome burned.

9. Nero is said _to have fiddled to fiddle_ while Rome burned.

10. This was _to be done to have been done_ yesterday.

11. They agreed _to finish to have finished_ it yesterday.

12. He was willing _to sing to have sung_ alone.

13. He expected _to have spoken to speak_ here to-morrow.

14. The Civil War is said _to cause to have caused_ more loss of life than any other war.

15. Blackstone is said _to have failed to fail_ at the practice of law.

16. It would have been hard _to accomplish to have accomplished_ that result.

17. He was foolish enough _to have spoiled to spoil_ six negatives.

18. I wanted _to have attended to attend_ the convention.

19. It would be terrible _to be lost to have been lost_ in the forest.

20. We were asked _to have waited to wait_.

21. I am eager _to have seen to see it_.

22. I am pleased _to meet to have met_ you.

74. SPLIT INFINITIVES. In the sentence, care should be taken to avoid as much as possible the inserting of an adverb or an adverbial modifier between the parts of the infinitive. This error is called the "split infinitive." Compare the following:

Bad: He seemed _to easily learn_.

Good: He seemed _to learn easily_.

Bad: He is said _to have rapidly run_ along the street.

Good: He is said _to have run rapidly_ along the street.

EXERCISE 55

_Correct the following split infinitives:_

1. She is known to have hurriedly read the note.

2. Mary tried to quickly call help.

3. He was asked to slowly read the next paragraph.

4. John attempted to rudely break into the conversation.

5. The plan was to secretly destroy the doc.u.ments.

6. His policy was to never offend.

7. He wished to in this way gain friends.