7. to guide and instruct them?

[notletrest]

Could you do us a great favor for our future visitors to guide and instruct them?In the sentence, can we put "to guide...them" before "for our..."?Semantically,it is so.But who"them" refers to?How to turn it over?Please!Thanks!

 

[notletrest]

Could you do us a great favor for our future visitors to guide and instruct them?In the sentence, can we put "to guide...them" before "for our..."?Semantically,it is so.But who"them" refers to?How to turn it over?Please!Thanks!

Why is there no comment on the question?Mabe I didn't express myself clearly.I mean can we change the original one into this:
Could you do us a favour, to guide and instruct them, for our futture visitors?If it is right, who does the "them "refer to?If it is wrong , in the original one what is the frunction of " to guide and instruct them"?
Thanks for your teachig.

 

[Jaskin]

hi,
Please note I'm not a teacher nor a native speaker.

Could you do us a great favour for our future visitors to guide and instruct them.

I find that sentence difficult to comprehend. You have there : "do us a favour" and "favour for our future [...]" no comma nothing in between that rises a question :
Who do you do the favour for ?

Anyway answering your question; no, you can't rearrange the sentence to :
Could you do us a favour, to guide and instruct them, for our futture visitors.

If you wanted to do something like that you just simply replace "them" by "our future visitors" but you need to do some other changes as well.

Cheers

 

[tedtmc]

Could you do us a great favor for our future visitors to guide and instruct them?In the sentence, can we put "to guide...them" before "for our..."?Semantically,it is so.But who"them" refers to?How to turn it over?Please!Thanks!

notlerest
Try not to use the small Times Roman font if you want you post to be more readable. It is a strain to read them. Just use the standard font like others.

It is not clear who the favour is for - you or your visitors.
Make your sentence simple:

Could you do our future visitors a (great) favour by guiding and instructing them?

You usually say 'do somebody a favour by...' and not 'do someboday a favour to...". Don't ask me why.
Your 'great favour' reminds me of someone in another thread asking for 'great examples and crystal-clear explanations'.

not a teacher

 

[BobK]

:up: [This refers to Jaskin's note; tedmc's got in just before mine] The people doing the helping and guiding are not the same as the people reading the sign, so it needs to be rewritten even if you leave the order as it was at first - something like 'Could you do us a great favour, so that we can help and guide future visitors.'

b

 

[Jaskin]

hi,

:up: [This refers to Jaskin's note; tedmc's got in just before mine] The people doing the helping and guiding are not the same as the people reading the sign, so it needs to be rewritten even if you leave the order as it was at first - something like 'Could you do us a great favour, so that we can help and guide future visitors.'

b

I thought that I suggested that.
Was the suggestion clear enough ? - That's a frank question as I try to improve the clarity of my messages/communication.

As I didn't know the intended meaning I didn't suggest any changes.

cheers,
PS: sorry for the off-topic

 

[notletrest]

hi,
I thought that I suggested that.
Was the suggestion clear enough ? - That's a frank question as I try to improve the clarity of my messages/communication.
As I didn't know the intended meaning I didn't suggest any changes.
cheers,
PS: sorry for the off-topic

The one is quoted from an imitate competition paper for junior middle school studets.
A Chinese monk asked two American visitors:" Could you do us a great favor for our future visitors to guide and instruct them?Would you write something in English?"
After reading its context,I found something wrong with it.Its logic is mixed up.It is not good English.Glad to hear you!

 

[BobK]

hi,



I thought that I suggested that.
Was the suggestion clear enough ? - That's a frank question as I try to improve the clarity of my messages/communication.

As I didn't know the intended meaning I didn't suggest any changes.

cheers,
PS: sorry for the off-topic

Don't worry ;-) I generally agreed with your post, and added the parenthesis so that I wouldn't seem to be agreeing with someone else. (I read your reply too hastily to see that you had already pointed out the ambiguity.)

b

 

[notletrest]

notlerest
Try not to use the small Times Roman font if you want you post to be more readable. It is a strain to read them. Just use the standard font like others.
=============================
Thank you for your advice but I beg your pardon!I am doing as others.Do you mean the numbers in the topic?I don't know what "the small Times Roman font "is.
cheer!

 

[Jaskin]

hi,
Please note I'm not a teacher nor a native speaker.

Now having them two sentences is't much clearer what it is all about.
I think it's only matter of order or punctuation.

Could you do us a great favor for our future visitors to guide and instruct them?Would you write something in English?

Could you do us a great favour?
Would you write something, in English, for our future visitors to guide and instruct them ?
(not sure about the commas)


Could you do us a great favour? (it is) For our future visitors to guide and instruct them; Would you write something in English?
(in spoken English, it's could have been omitted before for our.)


Cheers.

 

[notletrest]

hi,
Please note I'm not a teacher nor a native speaker.
Now having them two sentences is't much clearer what it is all about.
I think it's only matter of order or punctuation.
Could you do us a great favor for our future visitors to guide and instruct them?Would you write something in English?
Could you do us a great favour?
Would you write something, in English, for our future visitors to guide and instruct them ?
(not sure about the commas)
Could you do us a great favour? (it is) For our future visitors to guide and instruct them; Would you write something in English?
(in spoken English, it's could have been omitted before for our.)
Cheers.

=================
If so , as we know before an infinitive ,we often use for to introduce its logical subject.then, who do them refer to?It should use themselves instead of "them", I am afraid.Many thanks.

 

[tedtmc]

Now that we are more clear about the purpose of the message, how about putting it like this:

Could you please do us a favour by writing a guide in English for our future visitors to use.

It is about getting help to write a guide, isn't it? Not actually 'to guide and instruct' visitors personally.

notletrest
The font in your last post is fine. Times Roman was the font you previously used.

 

[notletrest]

hi,
Please note I'm not a teacher nor a native speaker.
Now having them two sentences is't much clearer what it is all about.
I think it's only matter of order or punctuation.
Could you do us a great favor for our future visitors to guide and instruct them?Would you write something in English?
Could you do us a great favour?
Would you write something, in English, for our future visitors to guide and instruct them ?
(not sure about the commas)
Could you do us a great favour? (it is) For our future visitors to guide and instruct them; Would you write something in English?
(in spoken English, it's could have been omitted before for our.)
Cheers.

=====================
Thanks for a teacher who gave the answer:

"To guide and instruct them" modifies do. It acts adverbially. It answers the question "why"."I am satisfied with it.​

cheers​

[FONT=&#23435] [/FONT]​