(3.) “The preposition TO before a verb is the sign of the Infinitive.”—­Weld’s E. Gram., 2d Ed., p. 74.  “The preposition is a part of speech used to connect words, and show their relation.”—­Ib., p. 42.  “The perfect infinitive is formed of the perfect participle and the auxiliary HAVE preceded by the preposition TO.”—­Ib., p. 96.  “The infinitive mode follows a verb, noun, or adjective.”—­Ib., pp. 75 and 166.  “A verb in the Infinitive may follow:  1. Verbs or participles; 2. Nouns or pronouns; 3. Adjectives; 4. As or than; 5. Adverbs; 6. Prepositions; 7.  The Infinitive is often used independently; 8.  The Infinitive mode is often used in the office of a verbal noun, as the nominative case to the verb, and as the objective case after verbs and prepositions.”—­Ib., p. 167.  These last two counts are absurdly included among what “the Infinitive may follow;” and is it not rather queer, that this mood should be found to “follow” every thing else, and not “the preposition TO,” which comes “before” it, and by which it is “preceded?” This author adopts also the following absurd and needless rule:  “The Infinitive mode has an objective case before it when [the word] THAT is omitted:  as, I believe the sun to be the centre of the solar system; I know him to be a man of veracity.”—­Ib., p. 167; Abridged Ed., 124. (See Obs. 10th on Rule 2d, above.) “Sun” is here governed by “believe;” and “him,” by “know;” and “be,” in both instances, by “the preposition TO:”  for this particle is not only “the sign of the Infinitive,” but its governing word, answering well to the definition of a preposition above cited from Weld.

[411] “The infinitive is sometimes governed by a preposition; as, ’The shipmen were about to flee.’”—­Wells’s School Gram., 1st Ed., p. 149; 3d Ed., p. 158.  Wells has altered this, and for “preposition” put “adverb.”—­Ed. of 1850, p. 163.

[412] Some grammatists, being predetermined that no preposition shall control the infinitive, avoid the conclusion by absurdly calling FOR, a conjunction; ABOUT, an adverb; and TO—­no matter what—­but generally, nothing.  Thus:  “The conjunction FOR, is inelegantly used before verbs in the infinitive mood; as, ‘He came for to study Latin.’”—­Greenleaf’s Gram., p. 38.  “The infinitive mood is sometimes governed by conjunctions or adverbs; as, ‘An object so high as to be invisible;’ ‘The army is about to march.’”—­Kirkham’s Gram., p. 188.  This is a note to that extra rule which Kirkham proposes for our use, “if we reject the idea of government, as applied to the verb in this mood!”—­Ib.