*** NOT A TEACHER ***
Hello good evening everyone! I would like to have a clear and textual explanation of
"perfect infinitive"; specifically rules if there are some applicable with respect to its context, conditions, uses, functions and if possible some examples. Also, please evaluate this sentence as to its correctness.
I am honored to have met you!
Thank you very much for the information you can give me on this topic!
I respectfully recommend that you study
these posts submitted by Raymott and me about a year ago, assuming you have the time and the determination to do so.;-) I really wanted to get to the bottom of the correct usage of the Perfect Infinitive in different tenses/structures, and I cannot be thankful enough to Raymott, who had the utmost patience to help me. I have re-read those posts many times since last July, each and every time with a quiet murmur of thanks to Ray.:up:
I would also like to bring to attention (even for some native speakers) a truly excellent note by Raymott which seems to have been missed even by the greatest grammarians, such as Professor Swan. The following passage is from "Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan:
perfect infinitive for 'unreal' past
After some verbs (e.g. mean, be, would like), perfect infinitives can refer to
'unreal' past situations that are the opposite of what really happened.
I meant to have telephoned, but I forgot. (OR I meant to telephone ... )
He was to have been the new ambassador, but he fell ill.
I wish I'd been there - I would like to have seen Harry's face when Nan
walked in.
With would like, would prefer and one or two other verbs, a double perfect
infinitive is sometimes used in informal speech; the extra perfect infinitive
does not change the meaning.
I would have liked to have seen Harry's face.
Our respected teacher, Raymott, illustrated an excellent point which grammatically justifies the double perfect infinitive:
˙Example sentences from "The King’s English" by H.W. Fowler are in black, Mr. Fowler's notes are in
red, and Raymott is in
blue, as usual.
Raymott; said:
With whom on those golden summer evenings I should have liked to have taken a stroll in the hayfield.—Thackeray.
To have taken means simply to take; the implication of nonfulfilment that justified the perfects above is here needless, being already given in I should have liked; and the doubled have is ugly in sound.
I agree it's unnecessary. Perhaps that's the way they liked it back in Thackeray's day.
But it does illustrate a point I intended making: the double use of the perfect tense can have the same meaning as a single use - it's a stylistic issue here.
Another example:
Peggy would have liked to have shown her turban and bird of paradise at the ball.—Thackeray.
So, it's Thackeray's style. Also, there might be a grammatical justification for this. If he's referring to Peggy in the past tense, this is an entirely good way of saying it, IMO.
"Peggy likes to shown her turban." (Present)
"Peggy would like to have shown her turban" (Present referring to past)
"Peggy would have liked to have shown her turban". (Past referring to further past). Note that there's no simple past form for "would like", as there is, for example, for "want"
want to - wanted to - would have wanted to
would like to - ? - would have liked to :idea:
If you are interested in H.W. Fowler's thoughts on Perfect Infinitive, you might want to check out
this chapter of his legendary work, entitled, " The King’s English". (Be warned, it is VERY difficult for learners!)
Should you have any questions, I am sure that the respected teachers and native English speakers of this forum will be willing to help you.
I hope
to have been able to be of use to you. ;-)
PS:
Dear Raymott,
If you happen to read this post of mine, I once again would like to thank you for your enormous help. :up: :up:
