The Only Person to Have

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The Only Person to Have

In this lesson, you can identify what the infinitive modifies and expand its meaning.

Created by , British English teacher.

I’m studying:

Try the activities, then check your answers.

Choose a short recording.

Before you start

Identify the first person who arrived.

See one possible response

Ewan was the first person to arrive.

You write a fictional history of a volunteer railway restoration project, using a supplied sequence rather than real historical claims.

What you will practise
  • Identify what the infinitive modifies and expand its meaning.
  • Choose simple or perfect modification to clarify relative time.
  • Track active/passive roles and the comparison set accurately.

Respond before revealing. Preserve participant roles, source limits and register; justify a valid alternative where the context permits it.

Identify a person or thing

After ordinals, superlatives and only, an infinitive can identify the relevant person or thing: the first volunteer to arrive; the only tool to survive. The head noun supplies a role in the infinitive. Do not confuse this modifier with a noun’s content complement such as a decision to leave.

Ewan was the first volunteer to inspect the carriage.

This was the only lamp to survive the move.

Salma holds the entire reviewed volunteer list with a pencil and satisfied focus, while the man has an unreviewed folder. Indistinct ticks can show her completed checking, without claiming that he completed it too.
Salma is the only volunteer to have checked the whole list.The perfect infinitive highlights earlier completion.

Earlier action with to have

A perfect infinitive can emphasise an action earlier than the main reference point: She is the only volunteer to have checked every label. The simple infinitive can also describe a past event when the main context supplies past time. Do not mechanically demand perfect forms for every past action.

Salma is the only volunteer to have checked the whole list.

Ewan was the first volunteer to arrive yesterday.

Passive modifiers and clear limits

To be + past participle makes the modified item affected by an action: the next carriage to be painted. To have been + participle places that passive action earlier. First, next and only need a relevant comparison set; they do not automatically make an all-time worldwide claim.

This is the next carriage to be painted.

It is the only carriage in this group to have been restored twice.

Only needs an identified comparison set

the only carriage in this groupto have been restored twicea claim within this group
This does not establish an all-time claim about every carriage in the world. Preserve in this group in your paraphrase.
They consider an isolated miniature rail carriage awaiting paint on a workshop stand, with an untouched paint roller and paint pot. The carriage is the next affected object; do not show completed painting.
This is the next carriage to be painted.The passive infinitive keeps the carriage as the affected item.

Guided practice

Say or write your answer first. Then compare the meaning and grammar with the model.

1. Ewan was the first volunteer to arrive.

Compare a model and explanation

Ewan was the first volunteer who arrived.

The modifier identifies the arriving volunteer.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

2. The next carriage to be painted: who or what receives the action?

Compare a model and explanation

The carriage.

The passive infinitive makes it the affected participant.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

3. She is the only person here who has read the complete log.

Compare a model and explanation

She is the only person here to have read the complete log.

The perfect infinitive preserves the earlier reading.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

4. The carriage will receive paint. Correct the next carriage to paint when it wrongly suggests the carriage paints.

Compare a model and explanation

The next carriage to be painted.

The passive makes the intended role clear.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

5. He was the first to arrive last night. Must to arrive be replaced by to have arrived?

Compare a model and explanation

No.

The main past context already identifies the past event; a perfect may be possible but is not mandatory.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

6. The only volunteer in our team to have worked on both carriages. Does this include every volunteer worldwide?

Compare a model and explanation

No.

In our team restricts the comparison set.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

7. The decision to leave and the first person to leave: which infinitive identifies a person by their action?

Compare a model and explanation

The first person to leave.

Decision to leave expresses the content of the decision, not a person modifier.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

8. A carriage is next for painting; only one carriage in this shed was restored twice. Keep these facts separate.

Compare a model and explanation

This is the next carriage to be painted. The carriage beside it is the only one in this shed to have been restored twice.

The future passive and earlier passive are clearly separated.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

A short conversation

Listen to the exchange, then take one role. The speaker labels identify roles; do not narrate them.

Open the conversation transcript

Guide: Salma is the only volunteer here to have checked every label.

Visitor: Was she also the first to join the project?

Guide: No. Ewan was the first to join; Salma completed the checking later.

Visitor: Then those two distinctions belong to different people.

Listening checks

Listen to each extract, then choose the best answer. These three questions have their own score.

1. What distinction belongs to Ewan?
Read the listening transcript

Ewan was the first volunteer to arrive yesterday. Salma arrived later but checked all the labels.

2. What is the carriage’s role?
Read the listening transcript

This is the next carriage to be painted. It has not been painted yet.

3. What is the scope of only?
Read the listening transcript

This is the only carriage in our shed to have been restored twice. We have not compared other sheds.

Answer key with explanations

  1. What distinction belongs to Ewan?

    Earliest arrival in the stated group yesterday.: First modifies the arrival, not the checking.

    Compare all choices
    • Being the only label checker.: That action is attributed to Salma.
    • Being the first volunteer in world history.: The context limits the comparison.
    • Earliest arrival in the stated group yesterday.: First modifies the arrival, not the checking.

  2. What is the carriage’s role?

    It will receive the painting action.: The passive infinitive identifies the affected item.

    Compare all choices
    • It will receive the painting action.: The passive infinitive identifies the affected item.
    • It has already received the new paint.: The second sentence denies that.
    • It will paint the workers.: That reverses the roles.

  3. What is the scope of only?

    The carriages in this shed.: The restriction is explicit.

    Compare all choices
    • All carriages everywhere.: Other sheds were not compared.
    • The carriages in this shed.: The restriction is explicit.
    • Only the workers, not the carriages.: The head noun is carriage.

Mastery quiz

Choose the best answer for each situation. The score is out of eight.

1. Which phrase clearly makes the carriage the item receiving paint?
2. Which emphasises completed checking before now?
3. Does was the first to arrive yesterday require a perfect infinitive?
4. Which preserves a restricted comparison?
5. In the first person to leave, person is ___.
6. Which is a passive perfect modifier?
7. Which noun phrase contains a content complement rather than the target person modifier?
8. Which report avoids assigning both distinctions to one person without evidence?
Answer key with explanations

  1. Which phrase clearly makes the carriage the item receiving paint?

    the next carriage to be painted: The passive infinitive supplies the affected role.

    Compare all choices
    • the next carriage to paint the wall: This makes the carriage the actor of painting.
    • the next carriage to be painted: The passive infinitive supplies the affected role.
    • the next painter to paint the carriage: This identifies a painter rather than the carriage.

  2. Which emphasises completed checking before now?

    the only volunteer to have checked every label: The perfect infinitive marks earlier checking.

    Compare all choices
    • the volunteer currently checking one label: This is ongoing and changes the quantity.
    • the volunteer who will check later: This is future.
    • the only volunteer to have checked every label: The perfect infinitive marks earlier checking.

  3. Does was the first to arrive yesterday require a perfect infinitive?

    No.: The past setting makes the time recoverable.

    Compare all choices
    • No.: The past setting makes the time recoverable.
    • Yes, simple infinitives can only be future.: Simple infinitives can receive past interpretation from context.
    • Yes, the word yesterday always requires have before the infinitive.: Past time can be supplied by the main clause and context without a perfect infinitive.

  4. Which preserves a restricted comparison?

    the only carriage in this shed to have been restored twice: The set is limited to this shed.

    Compare all choices
    • every carriage in every shed restored twice: This changes both quantifier and scope.
    • the only carriage in this shed to have been restored twice: The set is limited to this shed.
    • the only carriage ever restored twice anywhere: This widens the claim without evidence.

  5. In the first person to leave, person is ___.

    the understood leaver: The infinitive identifies the person by that action.

    Compare all choices
    • necessarily the person ordering someone else to leave: No ordering relation is present.
    • The person who is left behind.: To leave here identifies the person performing the departure, not someone left by another person.
    • the understood leaver: The infinitive identifies the person by that action.

  6. Which is a passive perfect modifier?

    to have been restored: Have been plus the participle marks earlier passive action.

    Compare all choices
    • to have been restored: Have been plus the participle marks earlier passive action.
    • to restore: This is a simple active infinitive.
    • to be restoring: This is active progressive, not passive perfect.

  7. Which noun phrase contains a content complement rather than the target person modifier?

    a decision to leave: The infinitive states what was decided.

    Compare all choices
    • the first person to leave: The infinitive identifies a person.
    • a decision to leave: The infinitive states what was decided.
    • the only guest to have left: This also identifies a guest by an action.

  8. Which report avoids assigning both distinctions to one person without evidence?

    Ewan arrived first; Salma alone checked every label.: The two participants keep their distinct achievements.

    Compare all choices
    • Salma checked the labels, so she must have arrived first.: Checking does not establish arrival order.
    • Ewan was first, so he checked every label.: The conclusion does not follow.
    • Ewan arrived first; Salma alone checked every label.: The two participants keep their distinct achievements.

Use it in your own words

Identify precisely

Describe the first and last people in a fictional sequence using infinitival modifiers.

Reveal a possible response

Ivo was the first person to arrive, and Bea was the last to leave.

  • Make the sequence clear
  • Keep the modified participants explicit

You may use a familiar event without naming real people.

Active or affected?

Describe one person who completed a task and one item awaiting a task, using a perfect active and simple passive infinitive.

Reveal a possible response

Mina is the only person here to have checked the list. That is the next box to be labelled.

  • Distinguish actor and affected item
  • Maintain relative time

Equivalent clear patterns are acceptable.

Put it all together

Introduce a fictional exhibition team: one person checked all captions, another arrived first, and one display is next for repair. Limit each claim to this team or exhibition.

Reveal a possible response

In this team, Arun is the only person to have checked every caption. Rosa was the first to arrive today. This is the next display to be repaired, but the repair has not started.

  • Preserve three separate distinctions
  • Control active, perfect and passive modifiers
  • Avoid all-time claims

Names may change; the supplied relationships must not.

Take it with you

Infinitival modifiers can identify people or things after first, only and related expressions. Preserve the understood actor, voice, relative time and comparison set.