Mr Dargis was glad to be/to have been appointed as chairman of the club.
Do both infinitives work well in this sentence?
Thank you in advance.
Only "to have been", IMO. This is why:
Mr Dargis is glad to be appointed as chairman. :cross: (I am appointed?)
Mr Dargis was glad to be appointed as chairman. :cross: (I am appointed?) )
Mr Dargis was glad to be a chairman. :tick: (I am here.)
Mr Dargis was glad to see you. :tick: (I see you.)
He was glad to be honest. :tick: (I am honest.)
Why the :cross: and the :tick: here? It has something to do with aspect. Tense can't interfere with these sentences as we have tenseless clauses.
"(A)ppointed is a dynamic verb in the sentence. The act of appointing has either happened already or it has not. When he is glad, it means his happiness is preceded by the act of appointing. The time of appointing him frames the speaker's now and this triggers the perfective aspect in the low clause (to have been appointed). The neutral aspect (to be appointed) with the dynamic verb "appointed" does not work unless a temporal adjunct expressing habitual action (with which the neutral aspect is compatible) is inserted like this:
Mr Dargis was glad [to be appointed as chairman every year]. :tick:
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Mr Dargis was glad to have been appointed as chairman. :tick: -- First he was chosen, and later he was glad.
Mr Dargis was glad to have seen you. :tick: -- First he saw you, and later he was glad.