all is you to

[aysaa]

Hello,

-All I want is you to be my bride for ever.

Could you please tell me if it is grammatically OK or not?

Thanks.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

Could you please tell me if it is grammatically OK or not?

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

It's not correct. It should be 'All I want is for you to be my bride for ever'.

 

[aysaa]

Can we say 'All I want is in order for you to be my bride for ever' instead of 'All I want is for you to be my bride for ever'?

 

[Rover_KE]

No.

Stick to what CS said. 'Wife' would make more sense than 'bride' in this sentence.

Rover

 

[anhnha]

All I want is for you to be my bride for ever.

All I want is for you to be my bride for ever.
I have just read the above sentence in a thread. The meaning is clear to me but I don't understand its structure and how to make a sentence like that.
All I want: subject
is: linking verb
Can I omit "for" in the sentence?
All I want is you to be my bride for ever.
I don't understand the using of "for" here.
Thank you.

I have merged this post with the original thread - they are very closely related. 5jj

 

[Gillnetter]

No.

Stick to what CS said. 'Wife' would make more sense than 'bride' in this sentence.

Rover

That may be, but seeing a wife as a bride is much more romantic and will probably lead to a happier life.

 

[BobK]

anhnha wants to know what the 'for' is doing. But it's not that easy. Some people seem to think that any one word in any sentence can be tied down to a single describable function, and indeed some forums seem to encourage the belief. ;-)

This 'for N to <verb>...' construction is informal. Formal contexts require a subjunctive - which, in Br Eng - isn't commonly used. Many people just don't use it. Some grammarians say a satisfactory description of current Br Eng doesn't require the word 'subjunctive'. But if you must say it it's 'All I want is that you should be...'. (In Am Eng the 'should' would be wrong - I think someone said that in another thread.)

b

PS Portuguese has a neat trick to avoid this problem - the 'personal infinitive'. 'to walk'/andar, 'for you to walk'/andares... etc

 

[~Mav~]

Re: all is you to (and the subjunctive)

Many people just don't use it. Some grammarians say a satisfactory description of current Br Eng doesn't require the word 'subjunctive'.

Please, tell me/us that you are NOT one of them! ;-)

But if you must say it it's 'All I want is that you should be...'.

How about, "All I want is that you be happy"? (This is how I'd put it.)

We, non-native speakers, have been warned against trusting song lyrics many times (admittedly, for a reason...), but this is the umpteenth time that I have found the lyrics of the rock opera, "Jesus Christ Superstar" very useful. (Granted, it doesn't fall into the category of those inferior lyrics that crop up even on this forum time after time.)
Here is the part I'm referring to:
"Listen, Jesus, I don’t like what I see.
All I ask is that you listen to me."


PS: Far be it from me to take sides in this matter, but I think it is essential that the subjunctive stay alive. Long live the subjunctive! :-D

 

[5jj]

Re: all is you to (and the subjunctive)

"All I ask is that you listen to me."

With 'you' as grammatical subject, the subjunctive form is the same as the indicative. If the subject were (subjunctive!) 'he,' then the verb would be 'listen' (subjunctive) or 'listens' (indicative).

Far be it from me to take sides in this matter, but I think it is essential that the subjunctive stay alive. Long live the subjunctive! :-D

I am with Somerset Maugham - "The subjunctive mood is in its death throes, and the best thing to do is to put it out of its misery as soon as possible."

 

[BobK]

Re: all is you to (and the subjunctive)

:up: I'm in the Maugham camp too, but I wouldn't go so far as to mark the subjunctive as 'wrong' if it were to be used ;-) - and of course there are many idiomatic phrases that use it ('be that as it may', 'come what may'...).

And ~Mav~, my 'should' is a sort of audible crutch (and crutches, though not attractive, are sometimes necessary - especially in cases of terminal illness;-))

b

 

[~Mav~]

Re: all is you to (and the subjunctive)

Truth be told, I don't understand this aversion to the subjunctive, but being a non-native speaker, I am not confident enough to argue any further. :-? All I can tell you is that the subjunctive forms can be translated perfectly into my own language, and to me, there IS a slight difference between sentences like, "I am adamant that he be promoted." and "I am adamant that he should ("crutch", a Bob just called this use of "should" ;-) ) be promoted".

How about, "All I want is that you be happy"?

Since none of you objected to/corrected that suggestion of mine, I assume it works. :roll: (Lest we forget about the original question... )


PS: Where, oh where are our American friends, who still use the subjunctive? :-( I remember that Barb has said more than once that the subjunctive is alive and well in the States.

 

[5jj]

Re: all is you to (and the subjunctive)

Truth be told, I don't understand this aversion to the subjunctive, but being a non-native speaker, I am not confident enough to argue any further.

I use the subjunctive myself - a result of my age and very formal education. I have no objection to the subjunctive as such, but I do take issue with those who insist that learners must be taught to use it and/or that failure to use it is uneducated or substandard. The simple fact is that very few speakers of British English use it except in certain fossilised phrases.The indicative is accepted as natural and correct by all but a tiny minority.

All I can tell you is that the subjunctive forms can be translated perfectly into my own language, and to me, there IS a slight difference between sentences like, "I am adamant that he be promoted." and "I am adamant that he should ("crutch", Bob just called this use of "should" ;-) ) be promoted".

I don't think many native speakers would feel a difference.

Since none of you objected to/corrected that suggestion of mine, I assume it works.

If you're referring to "All I want is that you be happy", nobody objected, because it's fine. However, most native speakers would say, "All I want is that you are happy" or "All I want is for you to be happy".