0
Twinkletoes Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Question about the phrase "I have things to do"

0 Okay, I'm looking at the phrase "I have things to do" and I'm mystified. Can anyone parse this for me? I'll be grateful.02br
00Thanks02br
00Twinkletoes 0-
  

Top answer

--

— Goodman

Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

12 Answers
0
--
0
0
0"I have things to do." 02br
02br
00I = subject 02br
00have things to do = predicate02br
00have = main verb (monotransitive)02br
00things to do = direct object (to-infinite clause with subject)02br
02br
00Miriam0-
0
0
0( I ) ( have ) (things (to do) ) = ( There are (things ( that I must do ) )02br
01i00I have things to do.02i02br
01i00I have people to meet. 02i02br
01i00I have places to go.02i02br
01i00I have letters to answer.02i02br
01i00I have bills to pay.02i02br
0
0
0I'm a native speaker so I know what it means, I just don't know how to name the parts of language involved. But thanks for the quick reply.05002br
00 Twinkletoes 010id1
0
0
0To-infinitives don't act as adjectives in English. They can modify an adjective, but not function as one.02br
00 Miriam 0-
0
0
0And let's not forget Robert Frost:02br
02br
01i00The woods are lovely, dark and deep02i02br
02br
01i00But I have promises to keep 02i02br
02br
01i00And miles to go before I sleep . . . 02i0-
0
0
0 01blockquote
01cite10miriam12cite10They can modify an adjective12blockquote
10Did you mean noun?02br
00CJ 0-
0
0
0 No, Jim, I really meant an adjective, as in "I'm happy to see you".02br
00happy to see you = predicative (or subject complement if you wish); adjectival construction.02br
00happy = head of the predicative02br
00to see you = to-infinitive clause acting as "adjectival complement" (which means post-modifier of an adjective)02br
00to see = head of th
0
0
0 Oh good, poetry always makes me feel better.02br
02br
00Thanks to everyone for answers (and poetry). I'm beginning to get a handle on it, thanks especially Miriam and CJ. I am a little confused by your disagreement, though, because it also seems to me that the infinitve modifies the word "things" here. Are you, Miriam, saying that instead "things" is the OBJECT of "to
0
0
0 Hello, Twinkletoes.02br
00No, that's 01b00not 02b00what I'm saying. "things to do" is the direct object of "have", the main verb of the sentence. "To do" would be a clause (a non-finite one) even if "things" weren't there or if it had some other type of complementation/modification. In this case, inside the clause, "things" is the subject and "to do" is the p
0