In the sentence "I want to sleep when I'm tired," the words "to sleep" are a/an
A. indirect object.
B. predicate adjective.
C. prepositional phrase.
D. infinitive phrase.
Answer is D
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To identify the function of the words "to sleep" in the sentence "I want to sleep when I'm tired," we need to understand the grammatical concepts associated with each option provided.
A. An indirect object typically receives the direct object and answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" Since "to sleep" does not answer these questions, it is not an indirect object.
B. A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject of a sentence. In this case, "to sleep" does not describe the subject "I," so it is not a predicate adjective.
C. A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition (e.g., in, on, at, to) and includes a noun or pronoun. It shows a relationship between other words in a sentence. While "to" is a preposition, "sleep" is not a noun or pronoun, so it is not a prepositional phrase.
D. An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive verb form (e.g., to eat, to sleep) along with any accompanying words or modifiers. In this case, "to sleep" is an infinitive phrase because "to" is the infinitive marker and "sleep" is the infinitive verb that functions as the direct object of the main verb "want."
Therefore, the answer is D. "To sleep" is an infinitive phrase in the given sentence.