Write: Rewrite these sentences using a to-infinitive instead of that

1 People know that he is an honest man > People know him to be an honest man.

2 I imagine that he works very hard…

3 I believe that she is guilty…

4 I found that the job was too difficult…

5 We discovered the claim was false…

6 I know that she has an interest in the company…

 

16.3E 'I agreed to accept their offer' [> LEG 16 23]

We can use that or a to-infinitive after these verbs: agree, arrange, claim, choose, decide, expect, hope, pretend, promise, swear, threaten, wish. Instead of: I agreed that I would accept their offer > We can say: I agreed to accept their offer

 

Write: Rewrite these sentences using a to-infinitive after the verbs

1 I agreed that I would accept the offer… I agreed to accept the offer.

2 I hope that I will succeed

3 I expect that I will hear from you

4 He claimed that he had met me

5 I arranged that I should be there

6 She pretended that she didn’t know me

 

F Context. Write: Put in the correct forms of the verbs. HOW TO GET RID OF RATS

When I was a young man, working in Malaya my boss gave me a difficult job to do. The roof of his house had become infested with rats and he (want/I get rid of)'1 wanted me to get rid of them for him. I tried everything: rat poison, cats, even a mongoose, but I (fail/move)2… them. Then a friend of mine (advise/I use)3… a python. I (considered this/be)4… my last chance and (agree/try)5…it. My friend brought me a box in which he had trapped a young python, about six feet long. We (manage/get)6… the box into the roof and then released the python. The effect was amazing! The rats disappeared in no time! It (prove/be)7… a wonderful solution. But then we didn’t know (what/do)8… with the python. I couldn’t (bear/shoot)9… this superb creature. It (take/six of us an hour/get)10… it into the box and then we returned it to the jungle.

 

16.4 Adjectives and nouns + to-infinitive 16.4A Adjective + 'to': 'It was kind (of him) to help us' [> LEG 16.26-31, App.44]

We can use a to-infinitive after adjectives in a variety of ways, for example:

1 We use a personal subject (he, she, etc.), or we use it with adjectives like these: clever, foolish, generous, good, polite, right / wrong, rude, selfish, silly, wicked. Instead of: He was kind (enough) to help us. She was silly not to buy it. > We can say: It was kind (of him) to help us. It was silly (of her) not to buy it. We can also say: He was so good/kind (etc.) as to help us.

2 We use only a personal subject (he, she, it or name) with these adjectives: afraid, anxious, ashamed, careful, curious, eager, fit, free, frightened, glad, keen, sorry.

John is eager to please. (Not *lt is eager to*) I'm sorry to have troubled you.

3 We use a personal subject or it, but not of him, etc. (> 1 above) with these adjectives: agreeable, amusing, boring, difficult, easy, hard, impossible: John is easy to please. It is easy to please John.

 

Write: Rewrite the sentence or join the pairs of sentences beginning with the word(s) given.

1 He was foolish. He left the firm. He was foolish to leave the firm.

2 You want to ask for more money. You would be stupid if you don't. You would be…

3 Ring me later. Would you be so good? Would you…?

4 Open the window. Would you be good enough? Would you…?

5 He worked out the answer. It was clever of him. It was…

6 They don't take any part in local life. It's silly of them. It's…

7 We can't refuse their invitation. It would look rude. It would …

8 She worked overtime. Wasn't it good of her? Wasn't it…?

9 He's eager. He wants to help us in any way he can. He's…

10 I was careful. I didn't offend them.I was…

 

16.4B Adjectives with 'too/enough': 'too weak/not strong enough to' [> LEG 16.32]

1 Too before an adjective means 'excessively' [> 7.6A, 7.7B]:

He isn't strong. He can't lift it. > He is too weak to lift it. (Not *very weak to*)

2 Enough after an adjective means 'to the necessary degree'. It combines two ideas:

He is strong. He can lift it. > He's strong enough to lift it.

He is weak. He can't lift it. > He isn 't strong enough to lift it.

 

Write:Join these pairs of sentences twice: awithenough bwithtoo

1 I'm not strong I can't lift It a) I am not strong enough to lift it. b) I am too weak to lift it.

2 I'm not rich I can't afford one a)… b)

3 She’s not old She can't drive a car a)… b)

4 I wasn't interested I didn't watch the film a)… b)

5 The pie is very hot I can't eat it a)… b)

6 The film was boring I didn't watch it a)… b)

 

16.4C Noun + to-infinitive: 'My decision to wait was wise' [> LEG 16 33-37]

Some nouns are related to verbs which are followed by a to-infinitive. They may have a different form from the verb: I decide to > it's my decision to, or they may have the same form as the verb: I wish to > its my wish to

2 Some nouns are related to adjectives which are followed by a to infinitive.

They usually have a different form from the adjective: I am determined to > my determination to; I am eager to > my eagerness to