to-infinitive

— As it turned out, much previous work on the subject is based on two assumptions about the situation of the to'''-infinitive in OE that have never been tested, but have, through constant reiteration, achieved the status of axioms: first, that the categorial status of the to'''-infinitive in OE is PP; and secondly, that the to'''-infinitive spread at the expense of the infinitive without to, the bare infinitive (see below, §§1.2 and 1.3).