'I am preparing to go to college.'

Question

'I am preparing to go to college.'Here dose 'to go to college' function as an object like I want to go now or as an adverb for a purpose like I should try to pass the exam? I think that it is natural to see it as an adverb. Or sometimes are the both ways of interpretation possible and there is no meaning difference? What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much as usual in advance!

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

You are asking about the difference between a noun (as an object) and an adverb.

Consider the following sentence:
I am preparing.
This sentence to me is incomplete. An object is necessary to complete the meaning - what am I preparing?

When an object is added, the sentence is complete.
I am preparing a meal.
I am preparing to leave.

Note that an adverb is not necessary for the semantic completeness of a sentence, but can be added.
I am quietly preparing to leave.
I am quietly preparing to leave now.

GPY · Answer

Hans51'I am preparing to go to college.'Here dose 'to go to college' function as an object like I want to go now or as an adverb for a purpose like I should try to pass the exam? I think that it is natural to see it as an adverb. Or sometimes are the both ways of interpretation possible and there is no meaning difference? What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much as usual in advance!

I should apologise in advance in case I contradict received wisdom or anything that I may have said in previous answers on similar topics! Intuitively, "to go now" does not seem to me like a verb object in the normal sense of the word. Neither does "to pass the exam" seem adverbial. And "to go to college" does not seem like either an object or an adverb. I do not even think that I naturally see your bold parts as conforming to phrase boundaries. Instead, I see "preparing to go", "want to go" and "try to pass" as concatenations of verbs.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

GPYIntuitively, "to go now" does not seem to me like a verb object in the normal sense of the word. Neither does "to pass the exam" seem adverbial. And "to go to college" does not seem like either an object or an adverb. I do not even think that I naturally see your bold parts as conforming to phrase boundaries. Instead, I see "preparing to go", "want to go" and "try to pass" as concatenations of verbs.

Hi GPY, I agree. It demonstrates that there are different ways to parse and analyze a sentence.
The to-infinitive can be seen as a reduced clause, and thus complementing the main verb.
The entire verb phrase "am preparing to go" can equally be analyzed as a complex catenative verb.
I suppose that how you parse it depends on which school of grammar you adhere to.

'I am preparing to go to college.'

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