Question

新概念第三册31课 语法问题？

it took him four years to stage this elaborate joke simply to prove that critics do not always know what they are talking about.

simply为什么可以直接用在joke后面，是什么语法结构？

Answer 1

simply修饰后面做目的状语的不定式的，表示“仅仅是为了”

Answer 2

to prove that the critics do not always know what they are talking about （为了证明批评家们并不总是知道他们在说什么）是一个动词不定式短语作目的状语，simply 在这儿是副词，汉语意思是: 仅仅, 只，不过。在本句中修饰动词不定式短语。