5. Verbs and expressions used in the predicate of sentences containing the Subjective Infinitive Construction (Nominative-with-the-Infinitive Construction). These words and expressions show the attitude of the speaker towards the person or thing expressed by the subject.
A ship – the Vestris – is reported to be arriving at Joppa. (Douglas) The compound verbal aspect predicate. The compound verbal aspect predicate expresses the beginning, repetition, duration, or cessation of the action expressed by the non-finite form of the verb. It consists of such verbs as to begin, to start, to commence, to fall, to set about, to go on, to keep on, to proceed, to continue, to stop, to give up, to finish, to cease, to come and an infinitive or a gerund. Here also belong would and used + Infinitive, which denote a repeated action in the past.
Elaine, this ill-advanced behavior of yours is beginning to have results. (Erskine) That view had come to give him a feeling of ease and happiness. (Lindsay) His bones ceased to ache. (Lindsay) She had stopped asking Yates about the time. (Heym) Meanwhile armoured infantry continued to feel its way in a northerly direction. (Heym) I kept glancing at her through the rest of the play. (Braine) I used to write poetry myself when I was his age. (Herbett) Mixed types of predicate. (1)Besides the compound nominal predicate, the compound verbal modal predicate and the compound verbal aspect predicate, there is a type of predicate in which we have elements of two types of predicates. Such predicates contain three components.
Thus we have:
1. The compound modal nominal predicate.
The nephew was to be the means of introduction. (Du Maurier) He greatly longed to be the next heir himself. (De la Roche) Don’t think I mean to be unkind. (Du Maurier)
2. The compound aspect nominal predicate. The grey house had ceased to be a house for family life. (Buck) It was like coming ashore after a channel crossing. I began to feel rather hungry. (Du Maurier) I was glad that the doctor had been Chinese, and not American. I continued to be glad for that. (Buck)
