To heal

Question

It will do nothing to heal the party rifts.There are party rifts to heal.Is there any difference in meaning between the infinitive usage in the above?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

AnonymousIs there any difference in meaning between the infinitive usage in the above?

Your question is not clear. Of course, the first sentence is talking about a healing method; the second is not.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousIs there any difference in meaning between the infinitive usage in the above?

I assume you're asking about usage. Yes, there's a distinct difference, and it involves the placement of the object of the infinitive.

nothing to heal the party rifts ~ nothing which will heal the party rifts
But party rifts to heal ~ party rifts which need to be healed

In the first one "nothing" is not the object of the verb "to heal". Thus, it's not saying anything like "to heal nothing". "to heal" carries it own object, namely, "party rifts".
In the second one "party rifts" is the object of the infinitive "to heal". Thus, the idea "to heal party rifts" is implied, as the sentence claims that someone or something needs to heal party rifts.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

CalifJim AnonymousIs there any difference in meaning between the infinitive usage in the above?I assume you're asking about usage. Yes, there's a distinct difference, and it involves the placement of the object of the infinitive.nothing to heal the party rifts ~ nothing which will heal the party riftsBut party rifts to heal ~ party rifts which need to be healedIn the first one "nothing" is not the object of the verb "to heal". Thus, it's not saying anything like "to heal nothing". "to heal" carries it own object, namely, "party rifts".In the second one "party rifts" is the object of the infinitive "to heal". Thus, the idea "to heal party rifts" is implied, as the sentence claims that someone or something needs to heal party rifts.CJ

Thank you, CJ, for the reply. I've got to admit that I had to read your comment several time to grasp it. And I wonder whether I could interpret it like that: both "nothing to heal the party rifts" and "party rifts to heal" are non-finite clauses in which "the party rifts" is an object in the former and the subject in the latter.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousI've got to admit that I had to read your comment several times to grasp it.

I would have had to do the same. It's that it was an unusual request that you made. I've never been asked to compare infinitive constructions like these before. In some ways they are so different that they are nearly incomparable.

Anonymousboth "nothing to heal the party rifts" and "party rifts to heal" are non-finite clauses

That is not the optimal description, I'm afraid. The non-finite clauses start with "to heal". Neither "nothing" nor "party rifts" are part of the non-finite clauses.

In the first case, to heal the party rifts is an infinitive of purpose, so it's adverbial.

What can we do [(in order) to heal the party / ~for the purpose of healing the party]?
We can do nothing [(in order) to heal the party / ~for the purpose of healing the party].
It (The thing that has been proposed) will do nothing [(in order) to heal the party / ~for the purpose of healing the party].

In the second case, party rifts to heal is a noun phrase and the non-finite clause to heal is the (adjectival) modifier of party rifts.

Anonymousin which "the party rifts" is an object in the former and the subject in the latter.

Yes, but keep in mind that party rifts becomes a subject in the second case only when we take into account that a modifying active infinitive is passive in meaning. That is, party rifts to heal is taken to have the meaning party rifts to be healed.

The analogous finite clauses are as follows:
Active: Someone or something must heal the party rifts (object).
Passive: The party rifts (subject) must be healed (by someone or something).

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you, CJ, for clarification, especially for detailed exemplification.

To heal

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