This section discusses the use of om + te-infinitivals as arguments of main verbs. Such clauses are formally characterized by the fact that they are headed by a te-infinitive and can be preceded by the “linker” element om. Furthermore, they always contain an implied subject, PRO, which is usually coreferential with (controlled by) the subject or object of the matrix clause, although it is sometimes possible for it to receive a generic interpretation; examples are given in (355), where coreference is indicated by coindexation and the index arb(itrary) is used to indicate that the generic reading is intended.

The discussion is organized as follows. Section 5.2.1.1 begins by showing that argument in the form of an om + te infinitival clauses have more or less the same distribution as finite argument clauses: they can have the same syntactic functions and usually follow the clause-final verbs. Section 5.2.1.2 continues with a discussion of the categorial status of the linker om, which has been analyzed as a regular preposition, but also as a complementizer-like element; although this issue is still unresolved, for convenience we will gloss om as comp(lementizer) in the examples. Section 5.2.1.3 concludes the discussion of om + te infinitivals by examining in more detail the implied subject PRO and the restrictions on its interpretation.