Instead of a to-infinitive, you can sometimes use a phrase beginning with the preposition for. In this structure, an adjective can be used alone.
He’s not the right man for it.
They are ideal for this job.
commenting on an event: That was an awful thing to happen
3.151 If you want to express your feeling about an event, you can use a to-infinitive after a noun phrase that follows a linking verb.
It seemed such a terrible thing to happen.
The to-infinitive consists of to and an intransitive verb, usually happen.
You cannot use an adjective alone in constructions of this type. For example, you can say It was a wonderful thing to happen, but you cannot say It was wonderful to happen.
commenting on willingness: Chris is anxious to meet you
3.152 If you want to say that someone is willing or unwilling to do something, you can use a to-infinitive after an adjective that follows a linking verb.
They were willing to risk losing their jobs.
I am anxious to meet Mrs Burton-Cox.
She is eager to succeed.
He is unwilling to answer questions.
I was reluctant to involve myself in this private fight.
You cannot use nouns in constructions of this type. For example, you can say He was willing to come, but you cannot say He was a willing person to come.
commenting on something: This case is easy to carry
3.153 If you want to show your opinion of something by describing what the experience of doing something to it is like, you can use a to-infinitive after an adjective or noun phrase that follows a linking verb.
Silk is comfortable to wear.
It’s a nice thing to have.
Telling someone they smell is a hard thing to do.
She was easy to talk to.
Note that the to-infinitive must be the to-infinitive of a transitive verb or of an intransitive verb followed by a preposition.
commenting on an action: That was a silly thing to do
3.154 If you want to show your opinion of an action, you can use a to-infinitive that has an object.
They thought this was a sensible thing to do.
This is a very foolish attitude to take.
The to-infinitive is usually to do, to make, or to take.
You cannot use an adjective alone in constructions of this kind. For example, you can say It was a silly thing to do, but you cannot say It was silly to do.
Other verbs with following adjectives: He stood still
3.155 Some intransitive verbs can be followed by adjectives in the same way as linking verbs.
George stood motionless for at least a minute.
Pugin died insane at the early age of forty.
However, it is clear that these verbs are not just linking verbs. George stood motionless does not mean the same as George was motionless. In the sentence George stood motionless, the verb stand is performing two functions: it is telling us that George was standing, and it is also acting as a linking verb between George and the adjective motionless.
Here is a list of verbs that can be used in this way:
hang
lie
sit
stand
~
gaze
stare
~
emerge
escape
go
pass
survive
~
blush
flame
gleam
glow
run
~
be born
die
return
Ways in which these verbs can be used with following adjectives are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Adjectives are sometimes used in combination with other verbs, but are separated from the main clause by a comma. This use is dealt with in paragraph 8.147.
3.156 You can use adjectives describing states after hang, lie, sit, and stand.
I used to lie awake watching the rain seep through the roof.
A sparrow lies dead in the snow.
Francis Marroux sat ashen-faced behind the wheel.
She stood quite still, facing him.
Gaze and stare can be used in a similar way with a limited set of adjectives.
She stared at him wide-eyed.
3.157 You can use some combinations of verbs and adjectives to say that something does not happen to someone or something, or that someone does not have something.
Go, pass, emerge, escape, and survive are often used in combinations like these. The adjectives they combine with are often formed by adding un- to -ed participles.
Your efforts won’t go unnoticed.
The guilty went unpunished.
Somehow, his reputation emerged unblemished.
Fortunately we all escaped unscathed.
Mostly, they go unarmed.
The children always went barefoot.
3.158 Verbs such as blush, flame, gleam, glow, and run can be used with colour adjectives after them to say what colour something is or what colour it becomes.
They blew into the charcoal until it glowed red.
The trees flamed scarlet against the grass.
3.159 Die, return, and the passive verb be born can be followed by either adjectives or noun phrases.
She died young.
He died a disappointed man.
At the end of the war, he returned a slightly different man.
He was born a slave.
fixed phrases