3.7 Malformation of infinitive subject

Rule: A noun phrase occurring between the 'Main verb and an infinitive clause object must be the subject of the infinitive.

Examples of errors:

1. I asked him to copy that article.
2. Some people seem to like it to be in danger.
3. They don't want people to be recognized.

(1) is certain to be misunderstood as 'I asked him if he would copy that article', whereas the intended meaning is 'I asked him if I could copy that article', equivalent to German Ich habe ihm gebeten, diesen Artikel zu kopieren. The author of (1) has correctly applied Rule 3.6, omitting the subject of the infinitive following ask, since it is co-referential with the main subject. This rule alone would have produced the correct sentence:

I asked to copy that article.
= I asked if I could copy that article

The problem is that, following German, he has also failed to remove the indirect object of ask (him). (2) is less likely to be misunderstood, because of the relative incongruity of an inanimate thing (it) being in danger--though a plausible context could be constructed if it referred to a noun like plan, idea, project, etc. Compare:

Bill likes his wife to be the center of attention.
Some people actually like their plans to be in danger, because they like to be challenged.

The one exception to this rule is the verb promise, which allows a following indirect object and omission of the subject of the infinitive:

John promised Mary to be home by midnight.

Do NOT use the "Back to…" links on these pages, as they will take you back into my website.

Use the Back button on your browser instead, to return to this page.

Here Mary is the indirect object, and John is the omitted subject of be.