You are spot on, David! Super point. Thanks.
Sophie
----- Original Message -----
From: David D Mulroy <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 11:38 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Infinitive phrase as adjective and as appositive


> I've been following this exchange with interest.  I have trouble thinking
> of "my decision" and "to leave my job" as appositives.  I thought that the
> elements in appositives denoted identical entities, as in "my teacher,
> Professor Jones."  In contrast to this, "my decision" denotes a mental
> activity, whereas "to leave my job" is its implementation.  They aren't
> really the same thing.  For example, you could say that your decision to
> leave your job was a secret, but it would not make sense to say that to
> leave your job was a secret.
>
>
> In Latin, you have "complementary infinitives" used to complete the
> meaning of certain verbs that don't normally stand alone, e.g., solet
> cantare, "he is accustomed to sing."  In my view, "my decision to leave"
> is rather similar to that and is obviously related to "I decided to
> leave."  In the latter, to leave is adverbial.  Hence I
> would vote for its being unambiguously adjectival in the phrase, "my
> decision to leave."
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, 5 Jun 2001, Sophie Johnson wrote:
>
> > Goody! I love it when I can
> > disagree with everybody. Here goes:
> >
> > The `adjectives' issue need not arise in
> >
> > `My decision to leave my job was wise'.
> >
> > Instead, there are two nounal sequences here:
> >
> > `my decision' and `to leave my job'.
> >
> > Both of them are described by the predicate
> > adjective `wise':
> >
> > My decision was wise.
> > To leave my job was wise
> >
> > In the same sentence both sequences
> > are the noun subjects of the copula `was'.
> > They are demarcated by the comma because
> > they constitute a list of nouns:
> >
> > My decision, to leave my job, was wise.
> >
> > Of course, when this infinitive phrase is intended as
> > an adjective it cannot be comma demarcated
> > from the noun it describes, `my decision', for
> > the simple reason that there is neither syntactic
> > nor logical reason for the demarcation:
> >
> > My decision to leave my job was wise.
> >
> > Sophie
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Richard Veit <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 4:00 AM
> > Subject: Fwd: Infinitive phrase as adjective and as appositive
> >
> >
> > > In a sense you're both right, since the sentence is ambiguous. If you
> > speak
> > > it with pauses before and after the infinitive (denoted in writing by
> > > commas, dashes, or parentheses), you've got an appositive:
> > >
> > >        My decision, to leave my job, was wise.
> > >
> > > More often the sentence would be spoken without pauses (or
punctuation)
> > and
> > > it is then "adjectival":
> > >
> > >        My decision to leave my job was wise.
> > >
> > > I'd actually label the latter as a "complement infinitive," since it
> > > corresponds with the nominal complement "My decision that I leave my
job
> > > was wise."
> > >
> > > Dick Veit
> > > UNCW
> > >
> > > >Date: Mon, 04 Jun 2001 10:34:31 -0700
> > > >From: "Kischner, Michael" <[log in to unmask]>
> > > >Subject: Infinitive phrase as adjective and as appositive
> > > >
> > > >Does someone know a convincing way of distinguishing between the
> > infinitive
> > > >phrase as adjectival ("The attempt to robe the bank failed") and as
> > > >appositive ("His goal, to win the Presidency, was never realized").
The
> > > >example  that my class got hung up on was "My decision to leave my
job
> > was
> > > >wise."  I called the infinitive phrase there an adjectival.  The
students
> > > >seemed unsatisfied by my explanation that in their hearts they know
I'm
> > > >right.
> > >
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>
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