ING and Modal (FOR) TO

An ING construction describes the complement clause subject taking part in some activity which is extended in time. A Modal (FOR) TO clause refers to (the potentiality of) the subject’s getting involved in some activity. Compare:

(52a) John tried to drive the Honda

(52b) John tried driving the Honda

Sentence (52b) states that he did drive the Honda for a while, perhaps for long enough to know whether he liked the car; (52a) suggests that he wasn’t able actually to drive it (perhaps he is only used to automatics and this is a manual, or perhaps the owner of the car wouldn’t let him drive it).

ING, Modal (FOR) TO and THAT complements all occur after remember, with significant semantic differences:

(53a) The doctor remembered that he had examined Mary Brown

(53b) The doctor remembered examining Mary Brown

(53c) The doctor remembered to examine Mary Brown

Sentence (53a) might be used when he remembered that the consultation had taken place but couldn’t recall any of the details—he just remembers the ‘fact’ of the examination; (53b) implies that he had a clear recollection of what happened—Mary Brown’s giggles when he asked her to put out her tongue, the high blood pressure reading, and so on. Both (53a) and (53b) refer to some actual event, in the past. In contrast, (53c) has a prospective meaning, stating that he knew he had to involve himself in an activity. Unless something is stated to the contrary we would infer from (53c) that he did examine her. However, the sentence could be continued: but when he looked in the waiting room he found she’d grown tired of waiting and gone off home.