I would think that this is sentence contains an infinitive clause,  "almost
to have planned his entrance,"  functioning as the complement to the main
verb, "seems."

It's also an example how awkward a sentence can be when you are bound and
determined not to split the infinitive "to have planned" with the adverb
"almost."

Kathleen Ward

On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 6:51 AM, Scott Woods <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Dear List:
>
> How would you analyze the verb in the following sentence?
>
>     A professional individualist, William T. Stead seemed almost to have
> planned his entrance.
>
> How would you analyze: "almost to have planned his entrance"?
>
> Here is a similar sentence which seems easier to analyze.
>
>      A professional individualist, William T. Stead may have planned his
> entrance.
>
>
> Thanks for the help,
>
> Scott Woods
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