So is it like an appositive?
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Wow! What a great learner you are!
Yes, it is an appositive.
If you were diagramming it, the sentence would look like this:
It (to form ice crystals) + takes + a very long time.
*****
Here is an example from one of my favorite books:
"It is a most exciting thing to be alive in this world."
*****
I am one of many members who hope that you will post (in a new thread, perhaps) some "noun + infinitive" combinations that you have read. After you give your analysis, other members will give theirs. Thanks to you, whenever I read something now, I pay attention to "noun+infinitive" combinations and ask myself: "How is that infinitive being used?"
Source: House and Harman, Descriptive English Grammar (second edition, 1950).
I doubt the OP as a native American English speaker counts as a learner, but I am not a teacher.What a great learner you are!
P.S. In your last post (with the 15 sentences), you quoted my entire post. The moderators get very annoyed when we quote another member's entire post. We are allowed to quote only necessary parts -- if there are any -- of another member's post.
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Actually, I was suggesting that whenever you are reading a newspaper or book and you come across a noun + infinitive combination that stumps you, you should post it in a new thread (with your analysis) and then let members discuss your answer.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif] [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]