Infinitive adverb or adjective

[mawes12]

1. You have two choices, to stay or to go.

2. Bill tried to warn them of the problem.

3. Jim had no choice except to resign from the position.

4. The child was afraid to tell the truth.

5. The teachers came to offer their service.

6. Joan had a scheme to make money.

7. I sat down to rest.

8. Ginger and her sister's plan was to see a lawyer.

9. The scouts stopped to buy some supplies.

10. The boss asked me to send the message to her brother.

From this site http://teachro.publiccomputingservices.org/grammarpractice/infinitive/infinphrase.htm

 

[MikeNewYork]

There are answers given in that link. Do you dispute the answers? If not, what was this post for?

 

[MikeNewYork]

I am kinda understanding now but what does the to behind the infinitive stand for because I think that is what is confusing me.

The "to" in an infinitive doesn't stand for anything or mean anything. It is a "particle", not a preposition. It is just used to indicate an infinitive.

 

[TheParser]

What does the "to" behind the infinitive stand for?

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello,

Did you mean the "to" in front of the infinitive?

IF you did, here is some information that fascinated me and may interest you, too.


"I want to leave at once."

One scholar claims the following:

"To" is only present to indicate that the subject [my emphasis] of a particular verb is missing."

Only my comments: So I guess that "I want to leave at once" means SOMETHING like " I want I leave at once." Of course, such a sentence is NOT acceptable in speech or writing!


Source: Suzette Haden Elgin, A Primer of Transformational Grammar (1975), page 13.





*****


Please look at what L.G. Alexander says in the Longman English Grammar (1988 edition), page 312:


"The to-infinitive is often used after a noun [my emphasis] to convey advice, purpose, etc."

His examples:

1. "The person to ask is Jan." He says that "person to ask" = "the person whom you should ask."
2. "I've got an essay to write." He says that "an essay to write" = "an essay which I must write."

a. ONLY my note: Ms. Elgin's theory seems to work.

(i) "The person [you] ask is Jan." By the way, in very informal English, such a sentence would NOT be TOO horrible:

James: I have a question about computers.
Mona: Oh, I know nothing about computers. The person you ask is Jan. She's in Room 150."

(ii) "I've got an essay write." (Of course, such a sentence is NOT acceptable -- not even in informal English.)

*****

The next time that a NOUN + INFINITIVE combination confuses you, please post it (in a new thread, perhaps). Tell us whether you think the infinitive phrase is adjectival or adverbial. Then your fellow members will share their opinions. I look forward to such a discussion.

 

[MikeNewYork]

>>>One scholar claims the following:

"To" is only present to indicate that the subject [my emphasis] of a particular verb is missing."

Only my comments: So I guess that "I want to leave at once" means SOMETHING like " I want I leave at once." Of course, such a sentence is NOT acceptable in speech or writing!


Source: Suzette Haden Elgin, A Primer of Transformational Grammar (1975), page 13.<<<

I have never heard a grammatical basis for that opinion. We borrowed the infinitive from Latin. In Latin there is no "to" before the infinitive. I think she made this up.

 

[mawes12]

There are answers given in that link. Do you dispute the answers? If not, what was this post for?

I think I realize it depends on the verb and #9 looks questionable because it looks like a direct object but it says it's an adverb.

 

[MikeNewYork]

It is not a direct object. I would call it an adverb.

 

[Matthew Wai]

It is not a direct object because 'stopped' is an intransitive verb there. That goes to show the following.

I think it would be less confusing if you found out whether the verb was transitive or intransitive, but I am not a teacher.

 

[mawes12]

So you're saying if it's intransitive it will be an adverbial infinitive?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think so, but I am not a teacher.
If 'stopped' was replaced by 'wanted', which is transitive, then 'to buy...' would be the object.

 

[TheParser]

#9 looks questionable because it looks like a direct object but it says it's an adverb.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Mawes:

Here is something from two scholars that will interest you.

1. I stopped to smoke.
2. I stopped smoking.

#1 means that I was working. I then stopped. I smoked for, say, five minutes and then returned to my job.
#2 means that I stopped the habit of smoking cigarettes.

Let's look at your sentence.

The scouts stopped to buy some supplies.

a. WHY did the scouts stop?
b. Answer: In order to buy some supplies.

Thus, it is adverbial.

4. The scouts stopped buying supplies.



a. WHAT did the scouts stop?
b. Answer: Buying [gerund] supplies.

Thus, "buying supplies" is an object.


Source for sentences 1 and 2: Mesdames Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book / An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course (1983 edition), page 436.

 

[Matthew Wai]

The scouts stopped to buy some supplies.

I think it would still be adverbial if a noun phrase, e.g. 'their car', was added before the infinitive phrase, but I am not teacher.

 

[mawes12]

I think have and be are one of the verbs that take direct object and adjectival infinitive. What do you guys think?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think 'be' does not take an object because it is not a transitive verb, but I am not a teacher.

 

[mawes12]

I think it's transitive and intransitive.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think it's a linking verb, auxiliary verb, or intransitive verb, but I am not a teacher.

 

[mawes12]

I think you're right.

 

[Barb_D]

You are really confusing yourself.
The only way to know whether a phrase is adjectival or adverbial is to look at what is being modified.

If it's a noun, it's adjectival.
If it's a verb, adjective or adverb, the phrase is adverbial.

The verb or placement of the phrase cannot help you. You must look at the meaning.

 

[mawes12]

You are really confusing yourself.
The only way to know whether a phrase is adjectival or adverbial is to look at what is being modified.

If it's a noun, it's adjectival.
If it's a verb, adjective or adverb, the phrase is adverbial.

The verb or placement of the phrase cannot help you. You must look at the meaning.

I heard if you put "in order to" and the phrase is understood or place infinitive phrase at the end or beginning then it's an adverbial infinitive. Some adverbs go after noun So it makes it confusing.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Mawes:

After two days (I'm a very slow learner!), I finally have enough confidence to give you my opinion about that sentence in post #38: "It will take a very long time to form the ice crystals."

In my opinion, the infinitive phrase is NOT adjectival (it does not modify the noun "time"; it is NOT adverbial (it does not modify the verb "take"). It is NOMINAL (that is, it is being used as a noun).

The sentence is actually "To form ice crystals will take a very long time."

Many native speakers, however, are more comfortable with starting the sentence with "it," which means nothing. It is a substitute for the real subject ("to form ice crystals") that has been put at the end of the sentence.

Compare: "To learn a foreign language takes a very long time." Many native speakers would prefer to express this as "It takes a very long time to learn a foreign language."