It's time you cleaned your room !

[crazYgeeK]

Could you please answer these questions ?
What is the grammatical structure for the sentence in title?
What about "It's time for you to clean your room" ? Is it the same ?
Thank you so much !

 

[5jj]

It's time to clean ...
It's time for you to clean ...
It's time you cleaned ..

All fine. There is no big difference in meaning.

 

[TheParser]

Could you please answer these questions ?
What is the grammatical structure for the sentence in title?
What about "It's time for you to clean your room" ? Is it the same ?
Thank you so much !

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


Crazygeek,


(1) I most respectfully suggest that there may be a difference.

(2) If I understand my books correctly (for example, Mr. Raymond

Murphy's Grammar in Use):

It's time for you to clean your room = a statement of fact:

Mother: Darling, it's 4 p.m. It's time for you to clean your room.

Son: Oh, thanks for reminding me, Mom. This TV show was so interesting

that I forgot all about it. I'll get right to it.

It's time you cleaned your room!!! = a criticism or complaint:

Father: Mona, can you help me cook dinner?

Mona: Sorry, Dad. But I'm going to clean my room now.

Mother: Well, it's time you cleaned your room, young lady!!! I have been

asking you to do that for the past week, but you have ignored my

requests.


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

P.S. To make it even stronger, Mr. Murphy would suggest:

It's high time you cleaned your room!!!

 

[5jj]

I most respectfully suggest that there may be a difference.

You and Raymond Murphy are right to the extent that 'it's time you cleaned your room can very often imply criticism or complaint. However, this is not necessarily so.

Son: Is that the time? I didn't realise it was so late.
Mother: Yes it is. It's time you started on your homework.

This may be a little more insistent/critical than 'It's time to start your homework', but that will largely depend on the intonation.