Infinitive adverb or adjective

[mawes12]

Infinitive verbs has always been difficult for me to understand. My question is does anyone know the difference between adjective infinitive and adverb infinitive?

 

[mawes12]

Sorry but is "does anyone know the difference between adjective infinitive and adverb infinitive?" A noun clause?

 

[MikeNewYork]

The difference between an adjectival infinitive and an adverbial infinitive is the role they play in a sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you know the difference between an adjective and an adverb, that will help.

 

[mawes12]

I know the difference but some infinitive verbs go after noun and I don't know if it is adjective or adverb?

 

[Matthew Wai]

'The first thing to do is to save him.'── The first to-infinitive functions as an adjective.
'He struggled to live.'── The to-infinitive functions as an adverb.
'He wanted to live.'── The to-infinitive functions as a noun.
Am I right or wrong?

Sorry but is "does anyone know the difference between adjective infinitive and adverb infinitive?" A noun clause?

I cannot see any noun clause, but I am not a teacher.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Infinitives can be nouns, adverbs, and adjectives. What they are in particular sentences depends on how they are used.

 

[TheParser]

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


Hello, Mawes:

Here is some information that may interest you. It comes from two of my favorite books.

1.. Infinitive phrase as a modifier of a noun: Darius Green's attempt to fly proved a failure.

2. Infinitive phrase as a modifier of an adjective : She is difficult to please.



3. Infinitive phrase as a modifier of an adverb: They arrived too late to catch the train.

a. Some books say that "to catch a train" modifies the adverb "late."
b. Some books say that "to catch a train" modifies the adverb "too."



Sources: House and Harman, Descriptive English Grammar (Copyright 1931 and 1950), Second Edition, pages 330 - 332. / Pence and Emery, A Grammar of Every-Day English (Copyright 1947 and 1963), Second Edition, pages 68 -69.

 

[mawes12]

Sentences like Bill uses his watch to get to work on time and The frail old lady needed someone to cut her lawn get me confused because both infinitives go after nouns but they say that the first sentence is adverb infinitive and the second one is adjective infinitive. I got those sentences from http://teachro.publiccomputingservices.org/grammarpractice/verbalsnav.htm

 

[mawes12]

I hope y'all understand and thank y'all for all your help. I really appreciate it and y'all help me learn things I didn't know.

 

[mawes12]

What I don't understand is how is a verb going to answer when, where, or to what extent something happen.

 

[MikeNewYork]

A verb doesn't. You have already been told that an infinitive is not a verb.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Sentences like Bill uses his watch to get to work on time and The frail old lady needed someone to cut her lawn get me confused because both infinitives go after nouns but they say that the first sentence is adverb infinitive and the second one is adjective infinitive.

'Bill uses his watch to get to work on time.'── The infinitive acts as an adverb because it modifies 'uses' instead of 'watch'.
'The frail old lady needed someone to cut her lawn.'── The infinitive acts as an adjective because it modifies 'someone' instead of 'needed'.

I am not a teacher, so please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[mawes12]

'Bill uses his watch to get to work on time.'── The infinitive acts as an adverb because it modifies 'uses' instead of 'watch'.
'The frail old lady needed someone to cut her lawn.'── The infinitive acts as an adjective because it modifies 'someone' instead of 'needed'.

I am not a teacher, so please correct me if I am wrong.

I think to get to work on time can also modify watch and to cut her lawn can modify needed. I'm not sure because I'm not a teacher, but also correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Raymott]

What did the old lady need? - Someone to cut her lawn. Correct - adjectival. She needed a lawn-cutting someone. Not just any someone would do.
What did Bill use? - a watch to get to work on time. Wrong, this is more information than asked for. He didn't need a "getting to work on time watch". Any watch would do. So it's not adjectival.

Why did Bill use a watch? - to get to work on time (so that he could get to work on time). Correct - adverbial
Why did the old lady need someone? - to cut her lawn (so that she could cut her lawn) - Wrong. She is not going to cut her own lawn. She needed someone who could cut her lawn. A type of someone (adjective).

"to cut her lawn" qualifies "someone" - adjectival.
"to get to work on time" modifies "use" - adverbial.
That's how I see it, but it is difficult, and not really obvious.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Matthew is correct.

 

[Raymott]

Mike is right in saying that Matthew is correct. I have signalled this in the traditional way by 'Liking' Mathew's post.
But anyone else who thinks Matthew is correct should certainly add another post to thread saying so.
Also, anyone who wants to confirm that I am correct in saying that Mike is right in saying that Matthew is correct is also encouraged to post.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Raymott is correct, ;-)

 

[Matthew Wai]

to cut her lawn can modify needed.

It modifies 'needed' in 'She needed to cut her lawn herself because no one could help her'.

Not a teacher.

 

[tzfujimino]

It modifies 'needed' in 'She needed to cut her lawn herself because no one could help her'.

Not a teacher.

Hello, Matthew.

Well, in your sentence, 'to cut her lawn herself' functions as an object of 'needed'. It doesn't really modify the verb.