Infinitive Complements

2a) Otto wants to go.
2b) Otto wants Bill to go.
2c) For him to do it took courage.

A number of common verbs permit objects with the following schema:

Compare 2a to 2b. The subject of the infinitive verb go in these need only be expressed in the surface structure if that subject is different from the previous antecedent subject of the complement verb want or the nearest antecedent will be the subject of any verb unless there is specific information to the contrary, say due to ideosyncratic features of the verb.

So it is possible for an implicit unstated subject to be the subject of go in 2a and needs to be an explicit subject in 2b.

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Comments to author: David Bozak
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Revised: February 5, 2001
URL: http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~dab/310/infinitive.html