an order to take measurements =? an order for measurements to be taken

[JACEK1]

It's me again.

Does "an order to take measurements" mean "an order for measurements to be taken"?

By "an order for measurements to be taken" I mean "an order that measurements (should) be taken".

I mean "Someone has ordered measurements to be taken" or "someone has ordered taking of measurements".

Thank you.

 

[BobK]

They mean different things. The first applies if someone wants someone else to measure something. For example A wants B and C to measure rainfall. A issues to B and C an order to take measurements.

You visit a web-page and order a jacket. The person running the business needs to know your measurements (a tailor service might need five or six measurements rather than just a number). They issue an order for measurements to be taken.

(By tweaking the syntax you could make either form fit either scenario. ;-))

b

 

[JACEK1]

I understand from your reply that an order to take measurements applies to taking measurements except tailor(ing), dress making, etc.

An order for measurements to be taken is strictly related to a tailor and tailor's vocabulary.

 

[BobK]

No. The tailor's a red herring. The example seemed to me to fit, but the tailor was an innocent bystander. ;-) 'An order for measurements to be taken' might be issued by a physics teacher telling his/her class to measure- say - a flask of boiling water as it cools, every 5 minutes.

When I said 'they mean different things' I didn't mean that each applies in only one sort of case. The 'different meaning' I was talking about was a change of focus.

b

 

[JACEK1]

Sorry, BobK, I still don't know what you mean by a change of focus in this case. Could you expand on that?

 

[BobK]

In 'The boy kicks the ball' has a verb in the active voice.
'The ball is kicked by the boy' has a verb in the passive voice.
Same event, different focus. Search for the many other UE posts about the active/passive distinction.

If that's no help, we need the views of another teacher...;-)

b

 

[JACEK1]

Of course, I know what the passive and active voice means. I took care of the boy. The boy was taken care of (by me). The word "passive and active voice" was never mentioned in your posts and I was not smart enough to guess what you mean. To paraphrase your opinion in post 4, the 'different meaning' I was talking about was a change of voice. This brings me to the conclusion that "an order to take measurements" means the same as "an order for measurements to be taken". The only difference is passive and active voice. What do you think?

 

[BobK]

It depends what you mean by mean. ;-)

b