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Conlang Year, Day 218 prompt

Goal: Plan a strategy for infinitival modifiers

Note: Infinitive phrases can also modify nouns (e.g. “The hat to wear is on the couch.”)

Tip: These might not be a distinct category from participial modifiers!

Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure


Today’s goal is to figure out a third kind of nonfinite verb modifier—an infinitive verb form modifying a head noun. For instance, “to wear” in the sentence “The hat to wear is on the couch” is modifying the noun “hat.” Depending on how your language works, you may not have a separate form for these kinds of infinitive phrases. In some languages, the same verb form can be translated as an active participle (e.g. “wearing”) or an infinitive (e.g. “to wear”). Context determines which translation is best.

If you had already decided not to mark infinitive forms any differently than other nonfinite verb forms, then you might consider conflating the active participle and infinitive modifiers into one category.