動詞不定式作主語時,句子的謂語動詞常用單數,其位置有以下兩種:
(1)把不定式置於句首。
例:To get there by bike will take us half an hour.騎自行車到那兒將花費我們半個小時。
(2)用it作形式主語,把真正的主語不定式置於句後,常用於下列句式中。例:
①It+is+名詞+to do
例:It's our duty to take good care of the old.照顧老人是我們的責任。
②It takes sb+some time+to do
例:How long did it take you to finish the work?你花了多少時間來完成這項工作?
③It+be+形容詞+for sb+to do
例:It is difficult for us to finish writing the composition in a quarter of an hour.
我們難以在四分之一小時內完成這篇作文。
④It seems(appears)+形容詞+to do
It seemed impossible to save money.
省錢似乎是不可能的
在句型③中,常用表示客觀情況的形容詞,如:difficult,easy,hard,important,impossible,necessary 等;
句型④中,常用(careless,clever,good,foolish,honest,kind,lazy,nice,right,silly,stupid,wise)等表示讚揚或批評的詞。在不定式前的sb,可看作其邏輯主語。這一句式有時相當於Sb is+形容詞+to do句式
例:It's kind of you to help me with my English.=You are kind to help me with my English.
⑤It + 不定式結構可位於(believe/consider/discover/expect/find/think和wonder)之後
例:He thought it would be safer to go by train.他認為乘火車比較安全。
⑥不定式的完成式也可作句子的主語
例:To have made the same mistake twice was unforgivable.
兩次犯同樣的錯誤是不可原諒的。
(1) 以下動詞後,只能跟不定式作賓語
afford (付得起),agree(同意),aim(力求做到),appear(顯得),arrange(安排),ask(要求),attempt (試圖),care(想要),choose(決定),claim(聲稱),condescend(屈尊),consent(準許),decide(決定),demand(要求),determine(決心),endeavor(竭力),expect(期待),fail(未履行),help(幫助),hesitate(猶豫),hope(希望),learn(學會),manage(設法),neglect(疏忽),offer(主動提出),plan(計劃),prepare(準備),pretend(假裝),proceed(接著做),promise(答應),prove(證明),refuse(拒絕),resolve(解決),seem(覺得好像),swear(發誓),tend(往往會),threaten(預示),undertake(承諾),volunteer(自願做),vow(發誓),want(想要),wish(希望)
例:The driver failed to see the other car in time.
司機沒能及時看見另一輛車。
(2) 動詞+疑問詞+ 不定式
(decide,know,consider,forget,learn,remember,show,understand,see,wonder,hear,find out,explain,tell)
例:Please show us how to do that. 請演示給我們如何去做。
注:疑問詞帶不定式在句中作成分時,謂語動詞用單數。
(3)當複合賓語中的賓語是不定式時,先用形式賓語it代替不定式,把不定式置於補語之後,即:主語+動詞+it+補語+to do句式。
例:We think it quite important for us to learn a foreign language well.
(1) 動詞+賓語+不定式(to do)
常見動詞:advise,allow,believe,cause,challenge,compel,declare,encourage,forbid,force, find,hire,induce,instruct,invite,like,order,permit,persuade,remind,request,require,select,send,suppose,tell,train,urge
例: Father will not allow us to play on the street.
父親不讓我們在街上玩耍。
(2) to + be 的不定式結構,作補語的動詞。
常見動詞:acknowledge, believe, consider, think, declare(聲稱), discover, fancy(設想), feel, find, guess, judge, imagine, know, prove, see(理解), show, suppose, take(以為), understand
例:We consider Tom to be one of the best students in our class.
我們認為湯姆是班上最好的學生之一。
(3) to be +形容詞
常見動詞:seem, appear, be said, be supposed, be believed, be thought, be known, be reported, hope, wish, desire, want, plan, expect, mean…
例:The book is believed to be uninteresting.
人們認為這本書沒什麼意思。
(4) there be+不定式
①(believe,expect,intend,like,love,mean,prefer,want,wish,undrstand)
例:We didn't expect there to be so many people there.
我們沒料到會有那麼多人在哪裡。
②有些動詞需用as 短語做補語(regard,think,believe,take,consider.)
例:We regard Tom as our best teacher. 我們認為湯姆是我們最好的老師。