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Is 'to smoke' a complement or adjunct in this sentence?

English Language & Usage Asked by Tom Addy on April 16, 2021

I hope you are all well.

He stopped to smoke.

Is to smoke a complement of stop or is it an infinitive-of-purpose adjunct?

3 Answers

As you will tell from my answers, I like to focus on readability. At the satisfaction of my readers. Always imagining that they could give me a star rating based on the enjoyment of my book or sentence.

So for me, I think you need to clarify for the reader what you're trying to say.

Are you just missing a comma? as in, "he stopped, to smoke." an infinitive-of-purpose adjunct?

Answered by Kevin B Leigh on April 16, 2021

IMO, "to smoke" should be a direct object of "stopped" which is derived from a noun clause "that he will/would smoke".

Answered by nova on April 16, 2021

In a comment, John Lawler wrote:

To smoke is a purpose infinitive. Stop, unlike start, can take only gerund complements (He stopped smoking, he started smoking, he started to smoke), so any infinitive following it has to be an adjunct.

Answered by tchrist on April 16, 2021

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