1. Syntactical and morphological characteristics of the Infinitive

9. Verbals as AM of Time & Cause.
P2: The AM function & meaning of P2 can be seen only from the general meaning of the sentence. In vast majority of cases, when used adverbially, P2 is preceded by a conjunction, which explicitly indicates the semantic type of the AM.
P2 may serve as an AM of time, usually with the conj. when or until: He won’t stop arguing until interrupted.
Cause: Deprived of his wife & son by the Spanish adventure, Ann found the solitude at Robin Hill intolerable.
P1: All 4 forms of P1 can function as AM of different semantic types (time, reason, manner, attendant circumstances…). In vast majority of cases the semantic type is clear from the meaningful relationship of the modifying & modified parts of the sentence.
P1 as AM of time may denote a simultaneous or prior action. Here it corresponds to the Russian adverbial participle.
Non-perfect P1 active, when used as AM of tome, usually conveys some specific action or state. Most often it is a participle of the verbs of motion (come, go), position in space (sit, lie, stand).
The notion of time is explicitly expressed by the conj. when & while.
Ex.: he felt horrible while saying this.
P1 passive is usually an AM of priority.
Ex.: being left alone, Ann and I kept silence for some time.
Perfect P1 as AM of time, always denotes a prior action.
P1 as AM of reason can be expressed by all the 4 forms. The most frequently used non-perfect P1 are those of verbs denoting mental perception & emotions, for example, knowing, realizing, remembering; also the participles being & having.
Ex.: hoping to catch the train, we took a taxi.
Inf.: AM of time. The Inf. denotes an action that marks out the moment of time up to which or at which the action of the predicate performed.
Ex.: His father lived to be ninety. (lived till he was ninety)
The position of the infinitive is fixed, it always follows the predicate it modifies. Its form Indefinite Infinitive active.