We use the perfect infinitive after verbs such as claim, expect, hate, hope, like, love, prefer, pretend:
- He pretended to have lost her number and so had been unable to contact her. (or He pretended that he had lost her number …)
Perfect infinitives can have the same kind of meaning as perfect tenses (referring to the things that might have happened in the past).
- It’s nice to have finished work. (= It’s nice that I have finished.)
- I’m sorry not to have come on Thursday. (= ... that I didn’t come ...)
- She claims to have met a number of famous people, but I don’t believe her. (or She claims she has met …)
- She seems to have quit the job. (= It seems that she has quit the job.)
- She was sorry to have missed the show. (= She was sorry that she had missed the show.)
We often use perfect infinitives to talk about ‘unreal’ past events : things that did not happen, or that may not have happened (emphasis), or unfulfilled hopes and expectations. (notice how we can use them after modals - might, ought, should, would and needn’t):
- I meant to have telephoned, but I forgot.
- You should have told me you were coming.
- I may have left my umbrella at the restaurant.
- Sammy was to have married Sarah but then Jamie came along and the engagement ring he had given her was returned.
- The British PM was to have had talks with his Canadian counterpart on his way to the US, but these were cancelled when the trip was curtailed.
- I wish I’d been there - I would like to have seen Harry’s face when Nan walked in.
- My new car was to have been delivered today but there was a problem with the paintwork.
Note
The structure modal verb + perfect infinitive does not always refer to unreal past conditions. It can also be used to express certainty or possibility.
- She should have arrived by now. (=It is possible that she has arrived by now.)
We can use the perfect infinitive in a clause with a verb that has no subject (a non-finite clause). It can refer to events which did happen in the past or to events that might have happened (but did not happen):
- To have got the job in the face of such stiff competition was a great achievement. (The person did get the job.)
- To have won the race would have been fantastic, but even coming second was a great achievement. (The person did not win the race.)
- We meant to have stayed there a week.
The perfect infinitive can refer to something that will be completed at a point in the future:
- We hope to have finished the building works by the end of March.
Passives
- The picture is believed to have been painted by a famous artist.
- He is said to have been very rich in the past.
- He is thought to have deserted his family.
- He is thought to have made a lot of money last year.
- They are believed to have suffered huge losses last year.
- Prices are claimed to have risen again.
- She is thought to have been smuggled out of the country in the back of a lorry.
- She is said to have been born in the 3rd century BC.
