Tobephrasea

Tobephrasea is a term used in linguistic description to refer to a predicative construction built from the infinitive to be combined with a following nominal or adjectival phrase, forming what is treated as a single predicative unit. The form typically appears as to be + [complement], such as to be a doctor or to be happy, and its semantics center on predication of identity, class membership, or a state of being.

In surface structure, a tobephrasea consists of the infinitive head to be plus its predicative complement. Depending on the language and analysis, the entire sequence may function as a nonfinite predicate, a nominal predicate, or as part of a larger infinitival clause. The construction is often contrasted with finite copular clauses to highlight differences in mood, tense, or agreement.

Semantically, tobephrasea expressions convey property or role attributions rather than temporal content. In English, they frequently occur in infinitival clauses serving as subjects or complements, for example in sentences like “To be a doctor is challenging.” In cross-linguistic study, the phenomenon helps describe how languages systematize predication with nonfinite clauses and how infinitival predication relates to copular structures.

Origins and naming: tobephrasea is a label adopted in theoretical discussions to categorize infinitival predication anchored by the verb to be. It is not a universally standardized term but a descriptive shorthand used in comparative and functional accounts of predication and copular constructions.

See also: Copular clause; Infinitival clause; Predication.