12. In the sentence "I want to sleep when I'm tired," the words "to sleep" are a/an
A. prepositional phrase.
B. indirect object.
C. predicate adjective.
[D. infinitive phrase.]
Right.
To determine the correct answer to this question, let's break down the sentence and analyze its structure.
The sentence "I want to sleep when I'm tired" consists of the subject "I," the verb "want," and the object "to sleep when I'm tired."
The question is asking about the words "to sleep" specifically. In this sentence, "to sleep" functions as a noun phrase. However, the question is asking for a more specific term to describe this phrase.
Looking at the options given:
A. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and usually functions as a modifier or qualifier in a sentence. However, "to sleep" does not begin with a preposition, so this option can be eliminated.
B. An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that is the recipient of the action of a transitive verb. There is no indirect object in this sentence, so this option can also be eliminated.
C. A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies the subject of the sentence. Again, "to sleep" is not functioning as an adjective, so this option can be eliminated as well.
Therefore, the correct answer is D. An infinitive phrase. An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by the word "to." In this sentence, "to sleep" is an infinitive phrase that serves as the direct object of the verb "want."