I am currently reading a simple grammar book which states that the sentence
"To sew well, strong light is necessary." is grammatically incorrect.
I think everybody understands the meaning of such sentence. Is it really incorrect?
What about "A strong light is necessary to sew well" ?
However, in this American grammar book which I am reading, by Geraldine Woods, it is stated that these sentences are grammatically incorrect. "Who is sewing ? No one, at least the way the sentence is now written."
The book states that to fix the problem it is mandatory to add a person, and rewrite it as:
"To sew well, you need a strong light."
"To sew well, sit near a strong light."
"To sew well, everyone needs a strong light."
I am still looking for a grammarian who admits the first version to be grammatically correct. I understand the point of the author, but I guess I still think the original sentence is grammatically correct. Or I need a better definition of what grammatically correct is.
Hi!
As I understand, in the sentence "To sew well, strong light is necessary", there is a purpose "to sew well" where "to sew" is the infinitive of the purpose. Now, the question is who or what is to stay behind the intended action of sewing. For sure, not a "strong light" but a doer, a taylor, simply you, we, one etc. Only the 'doer' can sew; the very purpose of the verb 'to sew' can be realized by the subject:
"To sew well, you need a strong light." (you)
"To sew well, sit near a strong light." (understood you in the imperative)
"To sew well, everyone needs a strong light." (everyone).
So, in my opinion, Geraldine Woods is right.
I'm not a grammarian.