Here's my more extended take on the derivation of the two sentences:

Sentence (1) below derives from the same deep structure as the
nonrestrictive relative clause (2):

    (1) My decision, to leave my job, was a wise one.
    (2) My decision, which was to leave my job, was a wise one.

Since (1) and (2) are (approximately) equivalent, and since appositives are
derived as reduced relative clauses, we can call the infinitive in (1)
either a "nonrestrictive appositive infinitive" or a "nonrestrictive
relative infinitive."

In contrast, sentence (3) derives from a very different deep
structure--i.e., the same deep structure from which the nominal complement
sentence (4) is derived:

    (3) My decision to leave my job was a wise one.
    (4) My decision that I (would) leave my job was a wise one.

Sentence (4) is a complement clause, not a relative clause. Since (3) and
(4) are (approximately) equivalent, we can call the infinitive in (3) a
"complement infinitive." In other words, I disagree with David Sawyer's
argument below that (3) is derived from a restrictive relative clause.
There are some infinitives that are derived as reduced restrictive
relatives, such as (5), which is (approximately) equivalent to the
restrictive relative clause (6):

    (5) The person to take over my job is Quigley.
    (6) The person who should take over my job is Quigley.

Consequently, I would call (5) -- but not (3) -- a "restrictive relative
infinitive."

The above are just a few of the dozens of different types of infinitives.

Dick Veit
UNCW

At 06:34 PM 6/4/2001, you wrote:
>** Reply to note from Assembly for the Teaching of English
>Grammar              <[log in to unmask]>         Mon, 4 Jun 2001
>14:27:23 -0500
>
>Here's another take on those pesky infinitives:
>
>My decision which was for me to leave my job was a wise one.
>
>My decision, which was for me to leave my job, was a wise one.
>
>As you can see, I'm understanding these infinites as relative
>constructions which can
>then be reduced (ellipts again, Michael) by (1) wh/be deletion and the for-to
>transformation. We end up with
>
>my decision, to leave my job, was a wise one.
>My decision to leave my job was a wise one.
>
>I have a bit of trouble considering the comma marked version an appositive
>since I
>don't feel "To leave my job, my decision," is equivalent to "My decision,
>to leave my
>job . . ." The first sounds like something a person would say when trying
>to make it
>clear he or she was not fired. The second does not carry that sense.
>__________________________
>David E. Sawyer, PhD
>Chair, Department of English
>North Hennepin Community College
>Treasurer, Assembly For the Teaching of English Grammar
>[log in to unmask]

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