Page:A handbook of the Cornish language; Chiefly in its latest stages with some account of its history and literature.djvu/187

 1 68 GRAMMAR 4. THE INFINITIVE OR VERBAL NOUN. The infinitive of a verb is treated almost exactly like a noun. If its object is a pronoun, this precedes the infinitive in the possessive form and governs its initial as it would that of a noun. If the object is not a pro- noun, it follows the infinitive without change of initial, after the manner of an appositional genitive. Very often the infinitive is governed by dhd y to, as in English, and under much the same circumstances, except that it is not so governed when it comes as the subject of another verb, and of course dho is not used after auxiliary verbs. It is especially used after verbs implying motion. Mt a vedn mos dho 'gas gwelas, I will go to see you. Mi eth dho vetya an tren, I went to meet the train. Lowen on ny dho 'gas gwelas why, we are glad to see you. When the sense of " to " is " in order to," or the pre- ceding verb implies an intention, the infinitive is gener- ally preceded by rag or rag dho, " for to," or by a dho, "of to." 5. SOME IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS. i. To have is expressed in three ways. a. By the verb bos, to be, with the thing possessed as subject and the possessor in the dative form, i.e. pre- ceded by dho, to ; cf. est mihi in Latin. Affirmative. Ema levar dhem, there is a book to me. Negative. Nynsyu levar dhem, there is not a book to me. Interrog. 'Es levar dhem ? Is there a book to me ? This is the common form in late Cornish. b. By the verb cafos or cavos^ to find, to obtain, used as an ordinary transitive verb with the possessor as