| Meaning
| Forms of the MV
| Forms of the infinitive
| Kinds of sentences
| Some other ways of expressing the same meaning
| Sentence patterns
|
| 1. Obligation arising out of a plan, an arrangement
| am (is, are) to
was (were) to
| Indefinite Infinitive
Perfect Infinitive (an unfulfilled plan)
| affirmative
interrogative
| to plan; to make a plan; to arrange; to agree; to decide
| Today I amto go to the post-office. When are you to go there?
Yesterday I was to have gone to the post-office to send a parcel, but I wasn't able to. (a planned action was not carried out)
|
| 2. An order, an instruction
| -||-||-
| Indefinite Infinitive
| affirmative
negative
|
| If your letter contains anything valuable you are to register it.
|
| 3. Possibility
| -||-||-
| Indefinite Infinitive Passive
| affirmative
interrogative
negative
|
| A letter marked ‘Post Restante' is to be left at the post-office until it is called for.
Where are postal orders to be cashed?
Such envelopes aren't to be bought anywhere.
|
| 4. Something thought as unavoidable
| -||-||-
| Indefinite Infinitive
| affirmative
negative
|
| I didn't know when I was to get a letter from her.
I still hoped to get a letter from her, but it wasn't to be.
|
