Agora Forums
 
   
1 of 11
1
Main verb after modal auxiliaries
Posted: 14 September 2009 05:51 PM   [ Ignore ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  844
Joined  2009-05-04

Wikipedia:

The infinitive, either marked with to or unmarked, is used as the complement of many auxiliary verbs:

I will write a novel about talking beavers; I am really going to write it.


Another site:

Modals (can, might, will, etc.) don’t inflect, but they
occur in environments requiring a finite verb with no
(other) finite verb around.

Can you explain this apparent contradiction?

I’ve always believed that the bare infinitive is used after modal auxiliaries, not a finite verb.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 14 September 2009 05:54 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  10219
Joined  2008-04-02

Sorry, too complicated for me.  I only taught high school. But luck!

Profile
 
 
Posted: 14 September 2009 06:07 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  844
Joined  2009-05-04

To me, the first is correct and the second is wrong. I’m near-certain the bare infintive is used always, not a finite verb.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 02:08 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  7359
Joined  2007-08-21

I will write a novel about talking beavers; I am really going to write it.

Going to is an idiom used to expess the future tense.

I am going to win (as opposed to I am going to bed.

 Signature 

Ars longa, vita brevis

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 02:10 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  10219
Joined  2008-04-02

I prefer bed to any sports competition myself.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 02:14 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  7359
Joined  2007-08-21

I agree. I don’t activities during which I am going to sweat.

 Signature 

Ars longa, vita brevis

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 02:15 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  10219
Joined  2008-04-02

I mow the lawn: don’t like that.  But in winter have to shovel snow, so dammed if I do, dammed if I don’t.  How about Holly cutting: work up a sweat there I imagine.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 02:24 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  7359
Joined  2007-08-21

Absolutely!. It can make you bleed if you’re not careful.

 Signature 

Ars longa, vita brevis

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 02:58 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  10219
Joined  2008-04-02

Bleeding sweat, or sweating blood. Neither sound too exciting.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 02:59 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  10219
Joined  2008-04-02

Have you noticed the site is fixed.  I’ve sent a glorious email to our WonderGog.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 03:06 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 10 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  7359
Joined  2007-08-21

I just noticed. Wonder of wonders.

 Signature 

Ars longa, vita brevis

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 03:10 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 11 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  10219
Joined  2008-04-02

Wonder of Wonders: Wonder Woman: Wonder Gog: Wonder Vikki: Vikki Wonder Gog.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 03:56 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 12 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  844
Joined  2009-05-04

I was meaning I thought the first site is correct, while the second is not.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 04:22 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 13 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  10219
Joined  2008-04-02

You’ve got me, I only taught high school, they never needed to know much, would not learn it anyhow.

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 06:54 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 14 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  7359
Joined  2007-08-21

Wikipedia:
The infinitive, either marked with to or unmarked, is used as the complement of many auxiliary verbs:
Another site:
Modals (can, might, will, etc.) don’t inflect, but they occur in environments requiring a finite verb with no (other) finite verb around. Can you explain this apparent contradiction?


I think what is meant on the second site is that the modal serves as the finite verb (I could, you could, he could, etc.) but doesn’t change forms like other finite verb (I run, you run, he runs). There is really no contradiction between sites one and two, since one refers to infinitives following auxiliaries, and the other discusses the auxiliaries themselves.

 Signature 

Ars longa, vita brevis

Profile
 
 
Posted: 15 September 2009 07:48 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 15 ]
Sr. Member
Avatar
RankRankRankRank
Total Posts:  844
Joined  2009-05-04

with no (other) finite verb around


I should’ve payed more attention to this part of the sentence, and I could’ve answered this myself. More tuna for me.

Profile
 
 
   
1 of 11
1