174 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. 
On the other hand, as a rule, the infinitive makes no effort 
in the infinitive phrase—or, say, in minor syntax—to show 
what is its subject, or even, it might be argued, to show that it 
is itself a verb. 
In Portuguese, however, the usual infinitive ending is occa¬ 
sionally followed by suffixed forms of person and number in¬ 
flection—a procedure which my illustration will reproduce 
with full efficiency, if I change it into “Astronomers declare 
him to exceeds thee.” 
In the infinitive phrase thus modified, it is plain that the 
subject of “to exceeds” (allowing the infinitive subject as usual 
to be in the accusative) is the third-personal “him,” and not 
the second-personal “thee,” which would require “to exceed- 
est.” Operating thus, the infinitive does its duty by minor 
syntax with the utmost fulness, and leaves no doubt whatever 
that, in the infinitive phrase, it is indeed a verb. 
At the same time, as shown above, the “to” (or any other 
expedient employed by other languages) exhibits clearly the 
substantive use of the infinitive—or else the whole infinitive 
phrase—in the leading clause. Indeed, as in any well inflected 
language the subject-place in that: clause would be preempted 
by “Astronomers,” it is plain that the infinitive—or else the 
whole infinitive phrase—is the object of “declare.” 
In determining whether it be the infinitive only or the whole 
infinitive phrase, that operates as object in the leading clause, 
I emphasize the order in wffiich the infinitive inflections ap¬ 
pear—regarding as such not only the terminal “s” but also the 
initial “to”—proposing now the question, how far the prior 
occurrence of an inflection gives assurance of its prior influence 
on the building of a thought. 
Of inflections I recognize two varieties, one of which—for 
instance the sign of plurality, that of future time, and the 
superlative ending—expresses what are plainly materials to be 
used in thought construction. This variety I neglect, as it does 
not include the infinitive inflections now to be examined. 
Other inflections, characterizable as instructional, while add¬ 
ing nothing to materials for thought-construction, show in 
one way or another how or where in thought-construction a 
