Active Infinitives with Passive Meaning
Tough Constructions: Active Infinitives with Passive Meaning
1. What is a tough construction?
A tough construction is a structure where an adjective is followed by an active infinitive, but the subject has a passive meaning in relation to the infinitive.
Basic pattern
Subject + be + adjective + to-infinitive
Examples:
- This book is easy to read.
- The problem is difficult to solve.
- The instructions are hard to follow.
- This machine is simple to use.
- The question is impossible to answer.
The infinitives are active in form:
to read, to solve, to follow, to use, to answer
But the subjects are understood as the objects of those actions:
This book is easy to read.
→ It is easy to read this book.
The problem is difficult to solve.
→ It is difficult to solve the problem.
The instructions are hard to follow.
→ It is hard to follow the instructions.
2. The “hidden object”
A useful way to understand the construction is to imagine the subject in its normal position after the infinitive.
The book is easy to read ___.
The blank represents the book:
It is easy to read the book.
More examples:
The car is difficult to drive ___.
→ It is difficult to drive the car.
The door is easy to open ___.
→ It is easy to open the door.
The language is difficult to learn ___.
→ It is difficult to learn the language.
The software is easy to use ___.
→ It is easy to use the software.
3. Active form, passive meaning
Compare:
The book is easy to read.
The infinitive is grammatically active: to read.
But the book is not doing the reading. Someone reads the book.
So the meaning is approximately:
The book is easy to be read.
However, English normally uses the active infinitive:
The book is easy to read. ✓
rather than:
The book is easy to be read. ✗ / unnatural
Similarly:
-
The problem is difficult to solve.
→ The problem is difficult to be solved. -
The instructions are hard to follow.
→ The instructions are hard to be followed. -
The machine is simple to operate.
→ The machine is simple to be operated.
The first versions are the normal English constructions.
4. Common adjectives
easy
- This book is easy to understand.
- The question is easy to answer.
- The machine is easy to use.
- The door is easy to open.
difficult
- The book is difficult to understand.
- The problem is difficult to solve.
- The language is difficult to learn.
- The machine is difficult to operate.
hard
- The instructions are hard to follow.
- This material is hard to find.
- He is hard to please.
- The problem is hard to explain.
impossible
- The question is impossible to answer.
- The problem is impossible to solve.
- The book is impossible to find.
simple
- The system is simple to use.
- The procedure is simple to follow.
- The machine is simple to operate.
Other adjectives can also occur:
- The water is safe to drink.
- This animal is dangerous to approach.
- She is pleasant to talk to.
- He is easy to work with.
- The village is difficult to get to.
5. People as subjects
Tough constructions can also describe people.
She is easy to talk to.
= It is easy to talk to her.
He is difficult to work with.
= It is difficult to work with him.
John is easy to please.
= It is easy for people to please John.
John is difficult to understand.
= It is difficult for people to understand John.
Important contrast
John is eager to please.
John wants to please other people.
John is easy to please.
Other people can easily please John.
The first has an active relationship between the subject and infinitive; the second has a passive relationship.
6. With “for + person”
We can specify who performs the action:
The book is easy for students to understand.
The problem is difficult for beginners to solve.
The instructions are easy for children to follow.
Compare:
The book is easy to understand.
The book is easy for students to understand.
The second sentence simply makes the person performing the action explicit.
7. Prepositions at the end
If the verb normally requires a preposition, the preposition remains:
She is easy to talk to.
He is difficult to work with.
This is something that is hard to deal with.
The village is difficult to get to.
The subject is interesting to talk about.
The underlying structure is:
It is easy to talk to her.
It is difficult to work with him.
It is difficult to get to the village.
8. “It is…” vs. a tough construction
These two structures are closely related but grammatically different.
It + adjective + infinitive
It is difficult to understand this book.
The infinitive has its normal active meaning:
Someone understands the book.
Subject + adjective + infinitive
This book is difficult to understand.
The subject corresponds to the object of the infinitive:
Someone understands this book.
The second structure is the classic tough construction.
Compare:
It is easy to learn English.
English is easy to learn.
It is difficult to solve the problem.
The problem is difficult to solve.
9. Not every adjective + infinitive is a tough construction
An adjective followed by an infinitive does not automatically have passive meaning.
Compare:
John is eager to help.
John helps.
→ John is the doer.
John is easy to help.
Someone helps John.
→ John is the receiver/object.
Another example:
She is happy to see him.
She sees him.
She is easy to see.
Someone sees her.
A useful test
Ask:
Is the subject doing the infinitive action?
If yes → active relationship.
John is eager to help.
→ John helps.
If no, ask:
Is the subject the object/receiver of the infinitive action?
If yes → tough construction.
John is easy to help.
→ Someone helps John.
10. “Too + adjective + to”
Tough constructions can also occur with:
too + adjective + to-infinitive
Examples:
The coffee is too hot to drink.
= The coffee is too hot for someone to drink.
The box is too heavy to carry.
= The box is too heavy for someone to carry.
The water is too dirty to drink.
= The water is too dirty for someone to drink.
The problem is too complicated to explain briefly.
= The problem is too complicated for someone to explain briefly.
11. “Adjective + enough + to”
A similar pattern occurs with enough:
The box is light enough to carry.
The water is clean enough to drink.
The instructions are clear enough to follow.
The road is wide enough to drive on.
Again, the subject is understood as the object of the infinitive.
12. Related structures with passive meaning
Tough constructions are part of a broader group of English structures where an active-looking form has a passive interpretation.
Worth + -ing
This book is worth reading.
= This book is worth being read.
The movie is worth watching.
The museum is worth visiting.
The problem is worth considering.
Need + -ing
The car needs washing.
= The car needs to be washed.
The house needs painting.
= The house needs to be painted.
The windows need cleaning.
= The windows need to be cleaned.
These are related to the same general idea, but they are not tough constructions grammatically.
13. “Ready to…” can be different
Be careful with sentences such as:
The food is ready to eat.
This can mean:
The food is ready to be eaten.
But:
John is ready to eat.
means:
John is ready to eat something.
So the same adjective + infinitive pattern does not always have the same semantic relationship.
Summary
The main pattern
Subject + be + adjective + to-infinitive
Passive semantic relationship
The book is easy to read.
→ Someone reads the book.
The problem is difficult to solve.
→ Someone solves the problem.
She is easy to talk to.
→ Someone talks to her.
Active semantic relationship
John is eager to help.
→ John helps.
She is happy to see him.
→ She sees him.
The key idea
In a tough construction, the infinitive is active in form, but the subject of the main clause is understood as the object/patient of the infinitive.
This book is easy to understand.
This is normally preferred to:
This book is easy to be understood.