2

We are having some dispute over the sentence below.

I've tried everything under the sun to fix this lock, but I just can't get it to work.

All of us agree on the meaning of the sentence.
However, what we are arguing about is whether the word "work" in this sentence is a verb or a noun.

Is it a verb or a noun???

Improve this question
3
  • It may help to think about what other words could fit after "I just can't get it to..." - verbs fit, nouns don't. E.g., "get it to run", "get it to leave", and "get it to sit" sound fine, but "get it to refrigerator" doesn't.
    – nnnnnn
    Commented Jul 10, 2022 at 14:48
  • It's a verb, the catenative complement of the catenative verb "get".
    – BillJ
    Commented Jul 10, 2022 at 16:15
  • If you could make it work if you took it to work, then it's a noun.
    – Mazura
    Commented Jul 11, 2022 at 0:40

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

It's a verb.

If work were a noun, then to would be the directional preposition, as in "Dad leaves the house and travels to work," meaning that he goes to his place of work. Work in your sentence doesn't mean "place of work".

You can replace the all-purpose get with a verb like make: "I just can't make it work." In that sentence, work is definitely a verb.

You could qualify your existing sentence: "I just can't get it to work for me," which again shows that work cannot be a noun and must be a verb.

The to is not a preposition but the particle necessary with an infinitive verb.

Improve this answer
0

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .