We want to take legal action against the hoodlum. In this sentence 'to' is a/an-

In the sentence "We want to take legal action against the hoodlum," the word "to" is an infinitive marker.

Explanation:

• Adverb: An adverb typically modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, often indicating manner, place, time, frequency, degree, level of certainty, etc. This is not the case with "to" in this sentence.

• Preposition: A preposition is used to show direction, location, time, or to introduce an object. Here, "to" is not introducing a prepositional phrase.

• Conjunction: A conjunction connects clauses or sentences or coordinates words in the same clause. "To" is not functioning as a conjunction in this sentence.

• Infinitive Marker: The word "to" is used as an infinitive marker when it precedes the base form of a verb (like "take" in this sentence) to form an infinitive verb phrase ("to take"). The infinitive here acts as a noun, being the object of the verb "want."