posted by rfvv Monday, May 2, 2016 at 5:16pm.
William became famous and had a chance to study in high school again.
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In this sentence, what is the role of "to....." in "a chance to..."?
I mean the relationship between 'a chance' and "the to infinitive." Are they in apposition? Or does "the to infinitive" modify 'chance' and have the role of the adjective use?
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English - Writeacher Monday, May 2, 2016 at 6:26pm
I'd say the infinitive phrase is acting as an adjective here, telling what kind of chance it is.
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Thank you for your help.
1. William became famous and had a chance to study in high school again.
(Isn't 'a chance' and 'to study' in apposition?)
No. An appositive would be, "A famous man, William, had a chance..."
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/appositive_apposition.htm
In the sentence "William became famous and had a chance to study in high school again," the phrase "to study in high school again" is functioning as an infinitive phrase.
The role of the infinitive phrase is not strictly apposition, but rather it modifies the noun "chance" and acts as an adjective, providing additional information about the type or nature of the chance that William had.
In this case, the infinitive "to study in high school again" describes the kind of chance that William had - it was a chance that allowed him to study in high school again. It specifies the purpose or goal of the chance.