3.10 Time reference of perfect infinitive object

Rule: After some verbs a perfect infinitive object clause has past time reference. After other verbs it means 'past-in-the-future'.

Example of error:

1. I hope to have given you good advice and that everything will end well.

As the object of some verbs a perfect infinitive refers to something which happened previous to the time of reference of the main verb, e.g.:

In these sentences the winning is said to have taken place, if at all, before the moment of speaking. Equivalently, one can say:

(Deserve does not allow that clause objects.)

With other verbs the perfect infinitive has the meaning 'past-in-the-future', i.e. refers to something which will happen after the time of reference of the main verb but before some other-future event, e.g.:

These are equivalent to:

(Want atd aim do tot allow that clause objects.) Since hope is one of these verbs, (1) could only be acceptable if the meaning were 'I hope that I will have given you good advice (at some point in the future)'. However, the sentence occurs at the end of a letter in which the author has offered some personal advice to a friend, and the meaning is rather 'I hope that I have given you good advice (in this letter)". Similarly, one could not say in this context:

But one might easily say:

I don't pretend to have helped you.

I expect to have confused you with all this advice.