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Old 02-Oct-2004, 07:22
jiang jiang is online now
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Default Re: grammar and vocabulary

Dear Casiopea,

Thank you very much for your explanation. I am still felt confused as to No.2. If the word 'had' means 'gained', the sentence should be 'I did not believe there was really any good to be gained in tearing me away from my home' . The sentence is somewhat difficult to understand. Could you please kindly further explain the sentence?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang



In that context, 'had' is synonymous with gained.

EX: There was nothing to gain ~ to be had

All the best,



Quote:
Originally Posted by Casiopea
Quote:
Originally Posted by jiang
Dear teachers,

I have two questions to ask:

No.1
Today I watched the 1st president election debate held in the United States. This is the first time for me to watch it. My question is "Which word should be used to describe the man who controlled the debate? Is he called judge or chairman" ?
I'm not sure myself. Sorry. Chairman sounds right, though. There's also, moderator.

I didn't watch the debate; I was going to but when I heard that it was scripted (i.e., the questions/topics were known in advance and the chair was told who to ask and when to ask), I decided to do something else instead.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jiang
No.2
I did not believe there was really any good to be had in tearing me away from my home.
As far as I know, 'have' can't be used in passive voice. So why do we have 'to be had'....? Has English grammar changed so much that 'have' can be used in passive voice?
In that context, 'had' is synonymous with gained.

EX: There was nothing to gain ~ to be had

All the best, :D
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