"We will let you know when these need to be released."
Is this sentence grammatical?
If it is, what grammatical construction is "need to be released"?
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4I'd have though the precise grammatical construction would be different depending on the intended meaning. 1a: (You want to know when they need to be released.) We will tell you that at some point in the future (before the need arises). 1b: We will tell you that as soon as the need arises (but not before). 2: (You want to know something else, not specified here.) We will tell you [that other thing] when or some time after it becomes necessary to release these [other] things.– FumbleFingersCommented Sep 4, 2014 at 12:11
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2There's another ambiguity, hinging on where the actual need lies. Does the sentence mean "We will let you know when these have an intrinsic need to be released" or "We will let you know when we need you to release these." Who's going to be in need, 'these' [captured birds?] or 'us'?– Edwin AshworthCommented Sep 4, 2014 at 16:15
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1And what on Earth do you mean here by catenation? AFAIK, it is a "linkage of atoms of the same element into longer chains" --Wikipedia. I don't see how that applies here.– DrewCommented Sep 4, 2014 at 19:48
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3@Drew Verbs that take other verbs or verb phrases are often called catenative verbs. The root of this word means "chain" and they're so-called because what you end up with is a chain of verbs...– Araucaria - HimCommented Sep 5, 2014 at 0:16
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To many native Pittsburghers, the grammatical construction is called "incorrect"! If something or someone needs to be released, a Pittsburgher would say, "It needs released" or "He or she needs released." Another example: "The grass needs cut." I guess the construction is a way of indicating something needs to be done soonest--like yesterday!– rhetoricianCommented Sep 8, 2014 at 21:56
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1 Answer
"Need(s) to" is simply a phrasal verb meaning "must." Examples abound in English:
Those pants need to be washed, dried, and ironed.
This mess needs to be cleaned up.
"Need(s) to" is not always followed by a past participle:
A swimmer needs to be careful in shark-infested waters.
Judges need to be impartial when weighing evidence.
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But the OP's example (and your examples) is a "need to V" type of expression, where the "to" is an infinitival marker, not the preposition "to". Is this type of expression also considered to involve a phrasal verb?– F.E.Commented Sep 12, 2014 at 20:51
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But this verb is just taking a normal infinitival to + infinitive pattern, like seem to or try to (depending on which example you choose ..., very importantly ) . Why is it a phrasal verb? Commented Sep 12, 2014 at 23:52