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Infinitives in news titles

English Language & Usage Asked by Lance_C on March 3, 2021

I have a question on the usage of infinitives in news titles. While infinitives are seemingly used to indicate that something will be happening in the near future in news headlines (as discussed in this question: Infinitive in news headlines), in this headline, it just looks confusing for me:

“Buddy, first dog to test positive for COVID-19 in the U.S., has died”

Can someone please help me understand how the phrase “to test positive” is used in this context?

One Answer

In this case it is not an infinitive describing the future but rather a description of the subject. It is saying that Buddy is the first dog that tested positive and not "Buddy is a first dog and will test positive soon", which wouldn't make much sense.

Answered by pblpbl on March 3, 2021

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