Re: Adjectives, Particles, and This ( etc ), and Conjunctions...

Pavel wrote:

> >David Crystal defines 'particle' thus in his "A Dictionary of Linguistics
> >and Phonetics":
> >"particle (1) A term used in GRAMMATICAL description to refer to an
> >INVARIABLE ITEM with grammatical FUNCTION, especially one which does not
> >readily fit into a standard classification of PARTS OF SPEECH; often
> >abbbreviated a _PRT_ or _part_.  In English, for example, the marker of the
> >INFINITIVE, _to_, is often called a particle because, despite its surface
> >similarity to a PREPOSITION, it really has nothing in common with it.
>
>Why "nothing in common"? Compare:
>
>I am going to the bedroom. (preposition)
>I am going to sleep. (particle)
>
>The function of "to" is essentially equal in both cases. The infinive with
>"to" IMHO has the same meaning as dative (allative, illative) of abstract
>noun derived from verb.
>Instead of "to sleep" we could say "to the sleeping state".
They only look like they have something in common here because you used the
verb "going" in two different senses in each sentence. In the first one,
this is a genuine verb of movement, but in the second it functions more as
a tense. We can see that "to" does not have a prepositional meaning from
the following sentences.

I have to empty the trash.
I want to fly like an eagle.
Not knowing how to waltz, Cinderella looked like a fool at the ball.
To be or not to be, that is the question.



Marcus Smith

"Sit down before fact as a little child,
be prepared to give up every preconceived notion,
follow humbly wherever and to whatsoever abysses Nature leads,
or you shall learn nothing."
                -- Thomas Huxley