Results 1 to 5 of 5
Like Tree2Likes
  • 2 Post By 5jj

Thread: noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?

  1. #1
    keannu is offline Key Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Student or Learner
      • Native Language:
      • Korean
      • Home Country:
      • South Korea
      • Current Location:
      • South Korea
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    2,017

    Default noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?

    There's lots of be-to verbs like the following, and even though only one example represent one meaning, as context always influences the meaning, the meanings can vary. It's really hard to infer the meaning from one of so many possibilities such as (promise, command, intention, etc), so do you have any secret or is context the only solution?
    And when you perceive be-to verbs, do you perceive them as descriptive phrase to describe the subject or a noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?

    1.We are to eat out tonight - promise, schedule
    2.You are to finish this by seven - command, order
    3.Please make an appointment first if you are to see him - intention, conditional
    4.Not a sound was to be heard - possibility
    5.He was never to see his wife again - destiny
    6.She is to blame for the accident - passive voice

  2. #2
    5jj's Avatar
    5jj
    5jj is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • Czech Republic
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    17,003
    Teacher

    Default Re: noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?

    Quote Originally Posted by keannu View Post
    6.She is to blame for the accident - passive voice
    No - 'to be blamed' is passive voice. The active 'to blame' has a similar meaning to the passive 'to be blamed' in your sentence, but it is still active voice.
    Context is always important; labelling is rarely important.


  3. #3
    philo2009 is offline Senior Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Academic
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • UK
      • Current Location:
      • Japan
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,227
    Teacher

    Default Re: noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?

    Quote Originally Posted by keannu View Post
    And when you perceive be-to verbs, do you perceive them as descriptive phrase to describe the subject or a noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?
    On this purely analytical question, naturally only sense can determine whether an infinitive functioning as copular complement identifies/defines the subject, as in


    My plan is to go to the UK.


    (N.B. note the article!)


    describes it, as in


    This was a day to be remembered.


    or simply asserts an act or condition relating to it, as in


    I am to see him tomorrow.


    Thus, the three uses of the infinitive exemplified above would be classified respectively, on the basis of sense, as nominal, adjectival and verbal.

  4. #4
    keannu is offline Key Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Student or Learner
      • Native Language:
      • Korean
      • Home Country:
      • South Korea
      • Current Location:
      • South Korea
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    2,017
    Threadstarter / Original Poster

    Default Re: noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?

    Quote Originally Posted by 5jj View Post
    No - 'to be blamed' is passive voice. The active 'to blame' has a similar meaning to the passive 'to be blamed' in your sentence, but it is still active voice.
    I thought "to blame" is a short form for "to be blamed", so form-wise it may be active voice, but meaning-wise, it may be passive voice.
    My key question was how to select one the so many meaning of "be to verbs", it seems just context as with other cases. And I also wonder why this noun-like forms came to be used as verbs and its origin and the purpose....it's really hard to understand from the Korean perspective....

  5. #5
    5jj's Avatar
    5jj
    5jj is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • Czech Republic
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    17,003
    Teacher

    Default Re: noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?

    Quote Originally Posted by keannu View Post
    There's lots of be-to verbs like the following, and even though only one example represent one meaning, as context always influences the meaning, the meanings can vary. It's really hard to infer the meaning from one of so many possibilities such as (promise, command, intention, etc), so do you have any secret or is context the only solution?
    BE to, like HAVE to, BE supposed to, other quasi-modal forms and the modals proper, can convey a range of meanings. Context is normally the key.
    And when you perceive be-to verbs, do you perceive them as descriptive phrase to describe the subject or a noun form such as (My plan is to go to UK)?
    We don't perceive it (not 'them') as either of these. Indeed, unless we are consciously studying it, we don't 'perceive' it as anything at all. If we are studying BE to, then we probably think of it as a quasi auxiliary verb.
    I thought "to blame" is a short form for "to be blamed", NO so form-wise it may be active voice, but meaning-wise, it may be passive voice.
    It may have a passive meaning, but the form/voice active.
    . And I also wonder why this these noun-like forms came to be used as verbs and its origin and the purpose.
    I cannot see how BE to can be 'noun-like' It's a verb followed by a to-infinitive (also a verb)
    ...it's really hard to understand from the Korean perspective.
    You'll probably never fully understand any part of English grammr if you look at it from a Korean perspective. The two languages are completely different.
    stanislaw.masny and keannu like this.
    Context is always important; labelling is rarely important.


Similar Threads

  1. [Grammar] When to use a noun with article a and a noun in plural form
    By Ferdie11 in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 17-Mar-2011, 20:08
  2. [Grammar] Which +plural form of noun
    By LiuJing in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-Jun-2010, 16:55
  3. Replies: 4
    Last Post: 27-Jun-2006, 03:00
  4. [ESL Weblog] Do you like (noun)? Lesson plan
    By Tdol in forum UsingEnglish.com Content
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 22-May-2006, 13:20
  5. [ESL Weblog] Do you like (noun)? Lesson plan
    By Tdol in forum UsingEnglish.com Content
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-Apr-2006, 10:55

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0