216 ORIGIN OF CONSTRUCTIONS OF INFINITIVE IN ANGLO-SAXON. 
a Latin gerund or gerundive, each with and without a preposition, which Latin 
idioms doubtless first led to the use of the inflected infinitive to denote purpose 
in Anglo-Saxon, although the Latin prepositional phrase made up of a prepo¬ 
sition and a noun instead of a gerund or a gerundive, and the Latin subordinated 
verb introduced by ut may have contributed somewhat thereto. 
The Latin correspondents are approximately as follows: ad + a gerundive in the accusa¬ 
tive, 38; ad + a gerund in the accusative, 31; pro + a gerundive in the ablative, 2; a gerund 
in the accusative, 4; a gerundive (nominative, 1; dative, 2; accusative, 13); an infinitive 
(final, 24 (18 in Gosp .); as predicate nominative, 1); a subordinated finite verb (active, 5; 
passive, 2); a co-ordinated finite verb, active, 3; an appositive participle, active, 6; an ab¬ 
solute participle, passive, 1; a prepositional phrase, 3; a noun (nominative, 1; accusative, 3; 
ablative, 2); a loose paraphrase, 2; no Latin, 13. Of the thirteen examples without a Latin 
correspondent, eleven occur in Alfred, but, in six of these examples, the inflected infinitive 
occurs elsewhere in Alfred corresponding to a Latin gerund or gerundive; while, in five ex¬ 
amples ( Bede 16.9: onfindan; Boeth. 19.22, 23: onlcenan; and Oros. 292.28 a : betcecan, 64.26: 
geunnan ), no such equivalent is found. Finally, it should be stated that it is possible that 
the Anglo-Saxon prepositional phrase of purpose, made up of a preposition + a noun or a 
pronoun, may have contributed somewhat to the development of the inflected infinitive 
of purpose. 
3. That, according to iElfric’s Grammar , the Latin gerund and the Latin 
future active participle are properly rendered by the Anglo-Saxon inflected 
infinitive; for on p. 134 he has “ amandi = to lufigenne; ” on p. 135, “ amandum 
= to lufigenne; ” and on p. 167, “ ruiturus = to hreosenne.” 
It seems likely that, because of its superior clarity, 1 the inflected infinitive 
became, in prose, the normal form of the final infinitive, though not to the total 
exclusion of the uninflected infinitive. 
2. With Passive Verbs. 
The preceding applies to the active infinitive of purpose with active verbs. 
As to the active infinitive with passive verbs, it is habitually inflected; has 
substantially the same Latin correspondents as with the active infinitive ex¬ 
cept that the final infinitive is not found; and was probably suggested by the 
Latin substantially as when used with active verbs. 
The correspondents in Latin are: ad + a gerundive in the accusative, 10; ad + a gerund 
in the accusative, 6; a gerundive (nominative, 4; accusative, 1); an infinitive (subjective, 
3; as a retained objective, 1; predicative with an auxiliary, 1); a co-ordinated finite verb, 
passive, 4; a predicative participle, accusative, passive, 1; a prepositional phrase, 2; a noun 
in the accusative, 1; no Latin, 3. Of these last three examples, all except one (Greg. 347.6: 
gadrina ) are elsewhere found in Alfred corresponding to a Latin gerund or gerundive. 
B. THE PASSIVE INFINITIVE. 
As already stated, I have not found in Anglo-Saxon a clear example of the 
passive infinitive denoting purpose. 
I have found few suggestions as to the origin of the final infinitive in Anglo- 
Saxon. The most direct and the most helpful single statement is that, of Pro¬ 
fessor Shearin, who, in discussing “ the Prepositional Infinitive after Sellan,” 
declares: “The prepositional infinitive seems to be preferred in translating 
the Latin gerund or gerundive constructions of purpose. As already seen (v. 
p. 13), the simple form is usual in translating the Latin infinitive and supine.” 2 
1 Cf. Chapter X, p. 146 above. 
2 Shearin, 1 1. c., p. 27. 
