附教学材料: 译林版《英语》必修第三册Unit 2
Grammar and Usage
To-infinitives as attributives and adverbials of result
A Exploring the rules
Anna is interviewing her teacher, Mr Li, about his experiences during a hurricane. Find the sentences with to-infinitives and fill in the table below. The first ones have been done for you.
Anna: Mr Li, I heard you experienced a strong hurricane when you were attending a conference in the United States. Can you tell me about it?
Mr Li: Sure. I was staying in Atlanta, and that was one of the cities to be hit.
Anna: Did you know that the hurricane was coming?
Mr Li: Yes. That morning, I turned on the TV for some local news, only to hear that a hurricane was on its way. As you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock.
Anna: What did you do during the hurricane?
Mr Li: The roads were blocked, so there was nothing for me to do but stay inside. You know, going outside during a hurricane is much too dangerous.
Anna: Exactly. How did you feel during the hurricane?
Mr Li: The strong wind and heavy rain didn't scare me, but I was quite frightened during the power failure.
Anna: Were you afraid of running out of supplies?
Mr Li: Actually, no. I had enough food and water to last a whole week!
Anna: That was lucky! What did the streets look like after the hurricane?
Mr Li: When the wind and rain stopped, I looked out of the window, only to see huge trees lying across the street and water everywhere!
Anna: The hurricane must have caused a lot of damage and suffering.
Mr Li: Yes. Luckily, many people came to help, donating food and clothes to charities.
To-infinitives as attributives |
To-infinitives as adverbials of result |
I was staying in Atlanta, and that was one of the cities to be hit. |
That morning, I turned on the TV for some local news, only to hear that a hurricane was on its way. |
Working out the rules
· When the to-infinitive is used as an attributive, it is often put (1) ______ (before/after) the noun or pronoun it modifies.
· When the to-infinitive is used as an adverbial of result, it can refer to an (2) ______ (expected/unexpected) result. In this case, we often use “only” before the to-infinitive.
B Applying the rules
B1 Match the first half of the sentences below with the correct to-infinitives. Write the letters in the blanks. Then try to understand the functions of the to-infinitives.
1. I went to the annual earthquake workshop _______ 2. The authorities told the local people _______ 3. They arrived at the airport _______ 4. Before we returned home, the flood damage needed _______ 5. This was the last city _______ |
a. to be cleared of people before the volcano erupted. b. to be repaired. c. to stay inside when the typhoon arrived. d. only to find the flight had been cancelled due to the snowstorm. e. to learn some safety tips. |
B2 Below is Anna's to-do list from yesterday afternoon. Complete the diary entry below using to-infinitives.
1:30 p.m. Find books about hurricanes in the school library 3 p.m. Meet Mr Li in his office (Mr Li will attend a staff meeting at 4 p.m.) 5 p.m. Make PPT slides for my project in the school computer room |
This afternoon, I went to the school library (1) _____________.
At 3 p.m., I arrived at Mr Li's office, only (2) _____________. Just then, I saw a note from Mr Li on the office door saying he was in the meeting room.
I went there and we talked about his experiences during a strong hurricane. Mr Li described the hurricane in great detail. He also mentioned a charity event to raise funds for the disaster area. Our interview ended at 3:50 p.m. because Mr Li had a staff meeting (3) _____________ at 4 p.m. Next I went through my notes of Mr Li's experiences and at 5 p.m. I went to the school computer room (4) _____________.
B3 Jim is talking to his friend Julie about his experience after the earthquake. In pairs, complete the conversation below using to-infinitives.
Julie: I heard the earthquake in your city was terrible. Did you move to a safe place?
Jim: Yes. My neighbourhood (1) _____________. People from other neighbourhoods followed later.
Julie: Is it true that the emergency services provided everyone with sleeping bags?
Jim: Yes. They did this (2) _____________.
Julie: Did you miss home?
Jim: Yes, I did. I (3) _____________, but I had to wait three weeks before it was safe to go back.
Julie: What did your home look like when you returned?
Jim: I came home (4) _____________. Nothing was left in one piece.
Julie: I'm sorry to hear that. Did the authorities give you any advice?
Jim: Yes. They (5) _____________.
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