Revision as of 03:36, 3 April 2011

Modal verbs in English

Modality of the markers to and Ø

In English, the infinitive is traditionally thought of as including "to". This may not be wrong insofar as "to" provides rupture with the modal and temporal plane in a way that [participials] don't. Participials (whether in -ing or in -EN) could be said to inherit their finite determination from the matrix clause (-ING is contemporaneous with it, -EN anterior to it), whereas with TO + infinitive this isn't the case, there is a clear rupture from the temporal plane. However it might be interesting to compare TO + infinitive with the bare infinitive or verbal base:

command mode

• I demand that he come
• Come on!

advice mode

• He should be ready.
• I suggest he be ready

e / pro / vocative mode

• God save the queen
• May you...
• Go to hell.

final cause mode

• I (had/made) him bake the cookies.

dubitative mode

• Why walk?
• Him?! Walk?

the presence of a "zero modal" or "to" seems to have little other function than to break off what you are saying from the specific context in which you are saying it, though arguably "to" conserves meanings associated with "path" and "goal" ([telicity]) from it's homonym preposition.

Odd hybrids

dare
need

periphrastics with to

ought to / needs to
be able to
etc.