Timeline for Noun+ infinitive + verb structure

6 events

when toggle format	what		by	license	comment
Jul 31, 2020 at 1:44	history	edited	John Lawler	CC BY-SA 4.0	added 25 characters in body
Dec 14, 2018 at 2:35	comment	added	John Lawler		That's a relative infinitive, too, with when, which has restrictions, since it's adverbial and therefore can't be subject or object of a clause. When, of course, is deleted as usual, but it can be converted into a relative clause: The time when I (am to) talk.
Dec 13, 2018 at 21:38	comment	added	Richard Z		You've discussed relative infinitives in examples 1,2,3 and complement infinitives in 5. But what about 4: My time to talk has come?
Aug 9, 2013 at 15:29	comment	added	John Lawler		@JanusBahsJacquet: Relative infinitives are used in very specific circumstances -- they're usually generic and always contain some modal like can or should -- and a sentence with an specific deictic predicate like is not here can't take a generic NP as subject, without serious metaphoric infrastructure.
Aug 3, 2013 at 16:47	comment	added	Janus Bahs Jacquet		As always a most erudite answer. But what of the fact that while "He is the man to do the job" works fine, while "The man to do the job is not here" lies somewhere between awkward and impossible?
Aug 3, 2013 at 16:13	history	answered	John Lawler	CC BY-SA 3.0