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Content tagged with "perfect infinitive"

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Reporting an earlier event in the passive voice

indirect speech
infinitive
passive
perfect infinitive
reporting verbs

subject + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive (perfect or perfect continuous)

If the reported event happens before the reporting, we use perfect or perfect continuous infinitives, depending on whether the verb in the reported clause was simple or continuous.

If the reporting happens in the present and the reported event in the past:

Third conditional

conditionals
past
perfect
perfect infinitive
subjunctive
unreal situations
IF
WOULD

if + past perfect subjunctive | would + perfect infinitive

The third conditional describes an unreal situation with reference to the past. We imagine a hypothetical situation, something that did not happen:

Types of modals

form
infinitive
modals
perfect infinitive

Modals include modal verbs, semi-modal verbs (also called marginal modals) and other modal expressions. They combine with main verbs and modify their meanings. A modal may have several different meanings, while similar meanings may be expressed by using different modals: