in which sentence is the underlined infinitive or infinitive phrase function as a direct object?

c. After all that exercise, the runners needed *to drink water*.

d.Just as the mayor was about *to give an award*, it began raining.

I would say its d?

wait, wouldn't it be c because the verb needed ends in ed?

Yes, it's c, but not because of any verb ending. It's c because the infinitive phrase is serving as the direct object of the main verb, "needed."

Thanks!:)

That is correct! In sentence D, the underlined infinitive phrase "to give an award" functions as a direct object. The main verb "was" requires a direct object to complete the sentence, and the infinitive phrase serves as that direct object. To determine this, you can ask the question "What did the mayor do?" The answer is "give an award," which indicates that the infinitive phrase is functioning as a direct object.