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14-Mar-2007, 01:50
| | |  Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
Dear sir,
I don't understand about the meaning of some sentences which having their structure as Subject + Verb to be + To + V1, such as
He was to receive $1,000 in each month for this job but he was never paid.
I guess this sentence would have meaning that the subject, he, was supposed to earn $1,000 for his salary. It should be replaced with the normal structures and re-written as
He was supposed to receive $1,000 in each month for this job but he was never paid.
Or
He was promised to pay $1,000 in each month for this job but he was never paid.
Therefore, Subject + Verb to be + To + V1 is Subject + Verb in for of passive voice. Do I understand in the right way?
Tony |
14-Mar-2007, 03:39
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
Hmmm . . .
To begin, top_man, I think that you mean: ‘He was to receive $1,000 FOR each month IN the job,’ and ‘He was to receive $1,000 for each month . . .’
No, it’s not a passive-voice structure. It is a member of a ‘family’ of structures – less and less common now – that are not part of the sixteen-tense system that is taught to students. The family contains sentences such as:
I was to be shot
I was to have been promoted
I have a chapter in my grammar that details these. If you can get the moderator’s permission, I will post the chapter. |
17-Mar-2007, 12:46
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
I still don't undertsand the meaning of the posted sentence.
He was to be shot. (So, Was he shot?)
He was to have been promoted. (So, Was he promoted? or Has he been promoted?)
He was to receive. (So, Did he receive?)
As it can be seen from many newspapers, the aforesiad sentence structure has been used manytimes. I don't agree it's less common now. I saw it in New York Times. Sorry, I'm not an English-native speaker. |
18-Mar-2007, 05:46
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
He was to be shot- This means that at the time referred to, the shooting was planned for a later time. It could mean either that he was shot or not according to the context.
He was to have been promoted- not promoted |
18-Mar-2007, 08:08
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: May 2006 Country: Belarus
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
Hi,
He was to be shot. - We don't know if he was shot.
He was to have been promoted. - No, he wasn't promoted.
The Perfect Infinitive often denotes sth that did not happen.
You might have done that yourself! - You didn't do it.
I could have played better. - Too late, I am sorry I played so badly.
Regards |
18-Mar-2007, 09:56
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
A total of 10 soldiers from a Scottish regiment "are to be" dismissed from the Army after failing drug tests.
Is it " They are going to be dismissed" ? |
18-Mar-2007, 14:02
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
Does It mean " A total of 10 soldiers from a Scottish regiment are being dismissed/going to be dismissed ...... ? |
18-Mar-2007, 14:28
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
They must be dismissed, and it's been arranged. |
01-Apr-2007, 04:23
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| | Re: Subject + Verb to be + To + V1
Thank you very much everyone.
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