He was easy to be around

[shootingstar]

(Nora deliberating)
Ash did long shifts but was easy to be around when he was in, even after days of blood and stress and gall bladders.

(The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, episode A Spiritual Quest for a Deeper Connection with the Universe)

What does "was easy to be around" mean in this context? I don't understand the grammatical structure of the underlined phrasing, I'm afraid.

 

[SoothingDave]

He was pleasant. Friendly. Upbeat.

Not miserable, irritable, unpleasant.

 

[emsr2d2]

It wasn't unpleasant to be in his company (ie near him, not working at his business!)

 

[shootingstar]

Thank you. Can you also explain to me the way in which "to be around" is connected to "he was easy"? I don't see the grammatical and/or logical connection between "he was easy" and "to be around", I'm afraid.

 

[SoothingDave]

(He was) (easy to be around)

You're dividing it wrong.

 

[shootingstar]

(He was) (easy to be around)

Do you take it to mean "He was easy for Nora to be around when he was in, even after days of blood and stress and gall bladders"?

 

[jutfrank]

Do you take it to mean "He was easy for Nora to be around when he was in"?

Yes. As you've shown, Nora is deliberating here, so it's only natural that she's thinking about how she and he get on personally. She's really just saying that he doesn't cause any kind of problem for her when they're both in the same house.

 

[Annabel Lee]

(Nora deliberating)
Ash did long shifts but was easy to be around . . .

"Ash" is the understood object of the preposition "around," just as "Ash" would be the understood object of the preposition "with" in the sentence "Ash did long shifts but was easy to get along with." This is a special type of construction that occurs with infinitive clauses that complement predicate adjectives, and adjectival expressions, denoting degree of difficulty, such as "hard," "easy," "difficult," "tough," "a piece of cake," etc.

One way of analyzing the construction is to look at it as deriving from, say, "It is easy to be around Ash," "It is easy to get along with Ash." The object of the preposition gets moved to subject position, replacing dummy "it" and stranding the preposition. Of course, when the object that gets moved is the direct object of a verb, no stranding occurs when the object becomes the subject of the higher clause: "It is hard to climb Mt. Everest." --> "Mt. Everest is hard to climb."

Notice that it is not Ash himself who is easy, just as it is not Mt. Everest that is hard. The degree-of-difficulty predicate applies, rather, to the whole situation of the infinitive clause. To be around Ash is easy. To climb Mt. Everest is hard.

 

[shootingstar]

Great replies. Thank you very much indeed.

 

[emsr2d2]

Great replies. Thank you very much indeed.

You're welcome but please remember that there's no need to add a new post to any thread to indicate your gratitude. Simply add the "Thanks" icon to any post you find helpful. This saves time for everyone.

 

[SoothingDave]

I wouldn't read that as he's only easy for Nora to be around, but that he's easy to be around for anybody.