Many scientists are still hoping

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Many scientists are still hoping to have found/to find/to have been found life on another planet.

I request anyone, who see this post, to inform me which one is correct at the bold part in the above sentence with a little explanation.

2

Hello,

I believe that teachers tell us the “secret” to multiple-choice questions is to first eliminate the obviously wrong. So forget “to have been found.”

So we now have two choices.

Notice the word “still.” Have scientists ALREADY found life on another planet? The answer is NO, for the sentence says that scientists are STILL hoping.

And my books tell me that we use the perfect infinitive (in this case “to have found”) when we are referring to something that has already happened.

For example: “The scientists last month found some houses on the moon. They are hoping (now) TO HAVE FOUND (last month) proof of life on the moon.”

THEREFORE, we are left with one answer: TO FIND.

James

3

Hello, Mr. James M,
Your explanation is very helpful for a student like me. Now I understand. But I feel very uneasy with following sentence as it express that they are hoping to get a thing now that they have found it last month how it’s possible. If you would explain it a little bit more. Then I would be more delighted.

4

I apologize that I did not explain it clearly.

  1. Let’s say that the astronauts discovered some houses on the moon last month.
  2. Now let’s say that they are talking with newspaper reporters today. They might say something like: “We hope that we HAVE finally FOUND proof of life on the moon.”

That’s the present perfect. But since you used the verb “hope,” we canNOT say “They are hoping HAVE FOUND proof of life on the moon.” So we have to say “They are hoping ( that they were able ) TO HAVE FOUND life on the moon.”

Here’s another example:

You met Mona yesterday.
Today you are talking with a friend. You might say “I am happy (today) TO HAVE MET Mona (yesterday).”

James

5

I thinkall the three are permissible
still hoping to find that when we speak in general
still hoping to have found when the question is determined
still hoping to have been found when the question is still having some effects
for me i prefer to use the first because it is easy and can be used in all cases

6

‘To have been found’ is not correct. The other two are okay.

7

Here ‘happy’ is adjective. Is “hoping” adjective in your previous example?

8

I hope / hoped / am hoping / was hoping / will be hoping / have hoped / had hoped.

I believe that those forms of “hope” are VERBS. (The adjective would be “hopeful”: I am hopeful that war can be prevented this year between countries X and Y.)

James

9

Let’s examine the sentence in parts.

  1. Many scientists are still hoping to have found life on another planet. Here ‘to have found’ is past perfective infinitive. It’s something which you expect as having happened in the past. You cannot hope anything for the past, you can hope for something only in the future. So, this sentence is wrong.

  2. Many scientists are still hoping to find life on another planet. This refers to the future because the speaker expects that the scientists may find it (in the future). So, it is acceptable.

  3. Many scientists are still hoping to have been found life on another planet. Here the use of ‘passive perfective infinitive’ is wrong, because it again refers to the past (contrary to the word ‘hope’) on one hand, and creates confusion as to whether it is the ‘scientists’ who, or the ‘life’ which, should have been found on another planet on the other.

So, as far as I understand only the second sentence is correct.

10

While “to find” is obviously the expected answer, in my opinion “to have found” is not completely impossible. It is feasible in the period between something being discovered and that thing proving to definitely be life.

11

I can see your point.

The astronauts last month found some houses on the moon. When they announced the news, some people mocked the astronauts, saying that those “houses” were just rock formations. Today the astronauts hold a news conference. They do their best to refute the doubts of their critics. They are STILL hoping to prove that they were, indeed, able TO HAVE FOUND life on the moon.

12

What I have highlighted alters the whole situation, James, though you are found to be acceptable with your exemplification. Thanks, however.

13
  • This is the street where the man was believed to have been killed. (is this a present perfect passive infinitive or a passive perfective infinitive).
  1. He was a nice man to have helped you yesterday.( is this a present perfect infinitive or a past perfective infinitive)

Besides, can I replace perfect with perfective? like the followıng:
past perfect = past perfective.
Are they interchangeable.

14

What I have highlighted alters the whole situation, James, though you are found to be acceptable with your exemplification. Thanks, however.
[/quote]

Thank you, T.H.

15

Hi, please assist me clear my doubt above.

Thanks.

Son Eben.

16

In English, the usual word in those cases is “perfect”. “perfective” seems to be used more when describing verb aspect as a concept, or possibly when describing some other languages. It is a more unusual word that has a more technical flavour.

17

Big thanks, Dozy but please help me here:
“to have found”( Is this past perfect infinitve?).

“to have been killed”( Is this passive perfect infinitive?)

Please if Iam mistaken and you have other name for it enlighten me and correct me.

18

As far as I am aware, this is normally just called “perfect infinitive”. “past perfect infinitive” does not appear to be the correct term.

Right (“perfect passive infinitive” also seems to be used).

19

Hello, Mr. Adu:

I found this in one of my favorite grammar books:

ACTIVE VOICE: to have seen (present perfect indefinite).

PASSIVE VOICE: to have been seen (present perfect indefinite).

Source: Descriptive English Grammar by Professors House and Harman.

20

Thanks, Dozy and Mr james for your help! good time.