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Hi, Teachers.
It would be nice if you could help me check the following four sentences.
(btw: Which expression is grammatical, 'the following four sentences' or 'the four following sentences'?)
(1) Rules are made to be broken.
(2) Rules are made for us to break.
(3) We made the rules to be broken.
(4) We made the rules to break.
Thanks in advance.
Enydia
Quote:
Originally Posted by enydia
'The following four sentences' - is correct.
Only the first sentence is correct. - 'Rules are made to be broken.'
I want to add my own thoughts.Quote:
Originally Posted by enydia
As to (1) and (2), I think they're both correct.
As to (3) and (4), I really wonder which is the subject of the infinitive, 'we' or 'rules'? How to determine it?
Of the following four sentences only two are grammatical.
(1) Rules are made to be broken. :tick:
(2) Rules are made for us to break. :tick:
(3) We made the rules to be broken. :cross:
(4) We made the rules to break. :cross:
The subject of (3) could be "We" or implied someone else. The meaning of (4) is hard to pin down, and so the semantic subject of to break is fuzzy.
Hi, Clark and Soup.
Thank you very much for your replies.
I was wondering if you could told me where the mistakes of the sentences you think incorrect lie.
The infinitive usage is one of the most tremendous difficulties for me.:-(:-(
Could you show me some advice for learning the grammar rules concerned?
Thanks in advance.
Enydia
The last two are in past tense.Quote:
Originally Posted by enydia
Past tense is not used in universal statements.
Regards,
rj1948.
Thank you, rj1948.Quote:
Originally Posted by rj1948
I'm sorry.:oops: What's the meaning of 'universal statement'?
Do you mean to say that if we change the past tense to present the sentences will be grammatical?Quote:
Originally Posted by rj1948
Dear enydia,Quote:
Originally Posted by enydia
I'll give an example.
Honesty is the best policy.
Regards,
rj1948.
Enydia, in (3) and (4) the infinitives are structurally used as adverbials of purpose. If you put the identifying question 'we made the rules: for what?' you'll see that neither 'to be broken' nor 'to break' fits as an answer. In my opinion, (3) (though the sentence itself does sound ridiculous, but just for the sake of grammar) requires at least an agentive by-phrase (e.g. 'by students'), and in (4) 'to break' has to be followed by an object (e.g. to break the unit into pieces). Without these fragments the above sentences sound incomplete.Quote:
Originally Posted by enydia