Adjective phrase or Adverb phrase

Question

I need a book to read on holiday.is ''to read on holiday'' an adjective phrase or adverb phrase?''to read on holiday'' answers the question ''Why do I the book?''Is it an adverb phrase?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

jasonkhlimIs to read on holiday an adjective phrase or adverb phrase?

Adjective. It modifies "book". What kind of book do I need? A book that I can read on holiday.

jasonkhlimto read on holiday answers the question ''Why do I need ~~the~~ a book?''

Not really. You're not saying that the book is the tool necessary for the purpose of reading on holiday.

An adverbial interpretation would be more appropriate for sentences like

I need a knife to cut this bread. Here the knife is used to do the cutting.
I need my glasses to read this book. Here the glasses are used to do the reading.
_________

The knife will do the cutting and the glasses will assist in the reading, but the book won't do the reading.

CJ

BillJ · Answer

I see it as a modifier too, more precisely an infinitival relative clause where the relativised element is the direct object “a book”:

"I need a book [to read __ on holiday]".

As CJ said above, it has roughly the same meaning as the finite relative clause "that I can read on holiday".

BillJ

Adjective phrase or Adverb phrase

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