In the Anglo-Saxon, _to_ was used with the infinitive only in the dative
case, where it had its proper function as a preposition; as, nominative
_etan_ (to eat); dative _to etanne_; accusative _e:tan_. When the dative
ending _ne_ was dropped, making the three forms alike, the _to_ came to be
used before the nominative and the accusative, but without expressing
relation.
This dative of the infinitive, with _to_, was used mainly to indicate
purpose. When, after the dropping of the _ne_ ending, the idea of purpose
had to be conveyed by the infinitive, it became usual in Elizabethan
literature to place _for_ before the _to_, "And _for to_ deck heaven's
battlements."-_Greene_. "What went ye out _for to_ see?"-_Bible_. "Shut the
gates _for to_ preserve the town."--_K. Hen. VI., Part III_.]
PARTICIPLES
PRESENT PAST PAST PERFECT.
/Pres./+ing+. /Past Par./ Having /Past Par./
+May+, +can+, and +must+ are potential auxiliaries in the present and the
present perfect tense; +might+, +could+, +would+, and +should+, in the past
and the past perfect.
The +emphatic+ form of the present and the past tense indicative is made by
prefixing +do+ and +did+ to the present. _Do_ is prefixed to the imperative
also.
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