How to parse. ...

'226

" TO " OMITTED.

[Par. 389.

But, side by side with this, there would be the
Old Participial or Verbal construction: -
(8) "1 observed him coining or a-comiing."
In (7) the Object of the Verb is a fact, viz. "the
fact that he came." In (8) the Object of the Verb
is a person.
But between these two constructions a compromise or confusion of thought was made, in which it
was left uncertain whether the fact or the person
was the more prominent; and, to represent this
confusion of thought, there was made (II.) a compromise or confusion of language, in which (I.
brevity) " to" was omitted as in (8), and " come "
was substituted for " coming," as in (7), the result
being(9) " I observed him come." 1
The confusion between the Infinitive and the Participle
or Verbal would be facilitated by the similarity of sound
between the old Infinitive in -en, and the Participle in -nd,
or the Verbal in -ng. See Pars. 585-6.
389 The "to" is often omitted after " than," where
it can be supplited from some other clause in the
sentence:(1) " Sooner than (I am prepared to) make this concession, I am prepared to go to law."
(2) " I will (i.e. wish; Par. 93) (to) die sooner than
(to) desist."
1 This Infinitive would be rendered in Latin and Greek by a
Participle.

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