Question

State the function of the Prepositional Infinitive Complex:

1. I have brought some books for my son to read.

2. For him to help his friend is quite natural. It's natural for him to help his friends.

3. She waited for Helen to say something.

4. It is difficult for me to retell this text.

5. It was a good experience for him to watch his father repair their TV set.​

Answer 1

The function of the Prepositional Infinitive Complex in each sentence is as follows:

1)To indicate the purpose or intended use of the books - "for my son to read" serves as an adjectival phrase modifying "books."

2)To indicate the subject of the verb - "For him to help his friend" serves as the subject of the sentence, and "it" is the subject in the second sentence.

3)To indicate the action or event that is being waited for - "for Helen to say something" serves as an adverbial phrase modifying "waited."

4)To express difficulty or ease of an action - "for me to retell this text" serves as an adverbial phrase modifying "difficult."

5)To express the beneficial or educational value of an experience - "for him to watch his father repair their TV set" serves as an adverbial phrase modifying "was."