這句的TO到底可省或不可省呢?

Question

原句-If you can not find a foreigner to talk to, talk with other English
students, instead.

句中的 to talk (to),第2個介係詞to一定不能省嗎?
如果今天改成find something to talk,後面應該就不用接to了吧?

腦筋轉不過來,還請指教

Answer 1

不定詞片語放在名詞後修飾名詞，該名詞應為這個不定詞在邏輯語意上的受詞：
(I have) nothing to do --> to do nothing
如上，nothing 其實在語意上應為 do 的受詞。
而這句話也可以這麼解：
I have nothing that I should do.
轉換為形容詞子句後，nothing 仍是 do 的受詞不變。
至於這個不定詞片語後的介係詞要加或是不加，要加的話到底是要加什麼，當然要看這個動詞是否為及物動詞（如上面的例句，do 是及物動詞，自然不用加）；或者是不及物動詞，此時介係詞必須要加，至於加什麼，就看跟前面修飾的名詞--也是受詞--之間的關係了：
... find a foreigner to talk to
--> find a foreigner who you can talk to
foreigner 是談話的對象（人），介係詞當然要用 (talk) to (someone)了。
若改成 find something to talk，talk 還是要搭配介係詞才行：
find something to talk about
--> find something that we can talk about
something 是事情，其談論的話題（物），介係詞就用 (talk) about (something) 。
依此規則，你可以類推：
He is not a person to ask.(不用加介係詞)
He is not a person to turn to (for help).(要加)
We have many problems to deal with.(要加)
It's a hard habit to break.(不用加)
.......

Answer 2

我覺得這是詞性的問題。

原句的talk是當作vi(不及物動詞),所以後面的to 是一定要的，這個介係詞to 不可以省。

換成find something/someone to talk,就會變成to talk 是不定詞，用來修飾somethinig/someone了。