[X could not say [the children have enjoyed themselves] ==> (passive)
[[the children have enjoyed themselves] could not be said] ==> (extraposition)
[It could not be said [the children have enjoyed themselves]] ==> (infinitive)
[It could not be said [the children to have enjoyed themselves]] ==> (subject raising)
[The children could not be said [to have enjoyed themselves]]
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"Dear List,
How would you characterize the verb in the following sentence? What's really going on?
<The children could not have been said to have enjoyed themselves>
It can be changed to <The children did not enjoy themselves>, but also to <Nobody could have said that the children enjoyed themselves>. The verb has elements of passive and perfect. What is the infinitive phrase doing?
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Scott WoodsVisit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/