Hello,
How should I call "to" before a verb when it is used to express purposes?
A "marker of the infinitive" or a "preposition of purpose"?
Example:
The road was closed to / in order to/ so as to allow the workmen access.
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Hello, Meriem—When "to" is followed by the base form a verb, it introduces an infinitival clause. Infinitival clauses function in various ways. Sometimes they complement verbs; sometimes they complement nouns; sometimes they are the subject of a sentence; and sometimes they they are purpose clauses.
Thank you, David. But I am wondering what should I call it grammatically. Is it a "preposition" with different purposes; sometimes to complement verbs, nouns ...as you said ?
The "to" that introduces an infinitival clause is NOT the preposition "to." You can call it infinitival "to"; that is how it is often spoken of in the literature. It doesn't matter whether the infinitival clause is a complement clause or a purpose clause; the grammatical nature of infinitival "to" is the same in both cases.
Perfect. Thank you David.