The Syntax of Early English - Cryptm.org

228 The syntax of early EnglishTable 7.1. Complement types occurring after perception verbs,causatives and object-control verbs in four Middle English texts:Layamon’s Brut: verse, 75,000 words (sec. half thirteenth century)Confessio Amantis: verse, 207,300 words (late fourteenth century)Paston Letters: prose, 235,300 words (1425–1500)Morte Darthur: prose, 336,700 words (c. 1475)Perception subj. object how/that- passiveverbs infinitival infinitival clause infinitiveLay. Brut 11 2 31 —Conf. Amantis 107 3 105 5Paston Letters 8 1 29 2Morte Darthur 267 — 207 4causative verbsLay. Brut 63 6 66 1Conf. Amantis 228 13 77? 4Paston Letters 155 5 9 31Morte Darthur 261 — 61? 31causative letLay. Brut 48 23 — 1Conf. Amantis 61 7 — 6Paston Letters 226 — — 42Morte Darthur 229 — — 19obj. control verbsLay. Brut — — 2 —Conf. Amantis 27 2 107 —Paston Letters 221 — 240 13Morte Darthur 2441? — 156 6complements, which, as we said above, was a general phenomenon in the MiddleEnglish period. The ‘object-infinitivals’ are generally less frequent than the‘subject’ ones (except after the verbs let and hear), but we can notice an overall,steady decrease in their use in Middle English. While the object-infinitivaldecreases, there is an increase in passive infinitives, a type that we have not discussedyet. Before we can continue this investigation, we must therefore considerthe use of the passive infinitive in both Old and Middle English.7.2.3 Passive infinitivesThe use of the passive infinitive in Old English is generally speakingrestricted to the position after modal verbs (cunnan, motan, etc). As the aux-