infinitiveparticipial

Infinitiveparticipial is a nonstandard label used in some linguistic discussions to refer to forms that fuse infinitival syntax with participial morphology or semantics. It is not a canonical category in most grammars of English, but the idea appears in typological descriptions and analyses of non-finite clauses where an infinitive bears participial features, or where a participle functions within or alongside an infinitive form to express aspect, voice, or temporal relations.

In English, many of these effects are achieved through periphrastic infinitives built from auxiliary verbs and participles. Examples include to be; to be loved; to have loved; to have been loved; and to have been loving. These illustrate how infinitive clauses can encode voice and aspect using participial material inside the infinitive frame. The participial components do not always belong to a single fused form; rather, they occur as part of the infinitival clause with the appropriate auxiliary and participle sequence to convey the intended meaning.

Typologically, some languages fuse the idea more directly. Latin supplies amaturus esse “to be about to love,” a future active infinitive that merges a participial form with an infinitive to express prospective aspect. Other languages show various non-finite combinations of infinitival and participial morphology to mark aspect, modality, or temporality. In English grammar, the concept is often treated as a descriptive or historical observation rather than a standard category. Related topics include non-finite clauses, infinitives, and participles.