It awaits you to

[raymondaliasapollyon]

Hi,

In the following sentence, what does the "it" refer to? Is it a dummy subject that refers to the infinitival phrase "to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course"? Or does it refer to "the crazy gold in Camden"?

The crazy golf in Camden has been rebuilt recently and it awaits you to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course.

Entertainment – Mum's the Word

www.mumstheword.me

 

[5jj]

does it refer to "the crazy golf in Camden"?

Yes.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi.

In the following sentence, what does the "it" refer to? Is it a dummy subject that refers to the infinitival phrase "to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course" no question mark here or does it refer to "the crazy golf in Camden"?

Note my changes above. As a learner, don't try to start sentences with "or", "and" or "but".

 

[Tdol]

Hi,

In the following sentence, what does the "it" refer to? Is it a dummy subject that refers to the infinitival phrase "to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course"? Or does it refer to "the crazy gold in Camden"?

What's the most logical answer and how can you test it?

 

[raymondaliasapollyon]

What's the most logical answer and how can you test it?

Could you make a grammatical sentence with "await" that has a non-dummy subject, followed by an object and an infinitival phrase?

 

[probus]

I await their decision to proceed or not.

How's that?

 

[raymondaliasapollyon]

I await their decision to proceed or not.

How's that?

Can "await" be used with a dummy subject?

 

[probus]

I don't know. I'll leave that to the grammarians.

 

[Tarheel]

I visited the website, and I am fairly sure that "Crazy Golf" is the name of the course.

 

[raymondaliasapollyon]

I visited the website, and I am fairly sure that "Crazy Golf" is the name of the course.

Is the following okay then?

The golf course named "Crazy Golf" awaits you to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes.

 

[jutfrank]

what does the "it" refer to? Is it a dummy subject that refers to the infinitival phrase "to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course"?

I say yes.

I'll stop short of saying it's wrong but I don't think it's common to use await like this.

 

[probus]

Perhaps, then, it's a regionalism because I feel that use of await is pretty common here in Canada.

 

[raymondaliasapollyon]

Yes.

Is the following okay if "a man" refers to "Mike"?

Mike asked me to help a man.

 

[probus]

Given appropriate context it might be, but without context its meaning is unclear.

 

[Tarheel]

Is the following okay if "a man" refers to "Mike"?

Mike asked me to help a man.

Mike is clearly asking you to help somebody else. Not him.

 

[raymondaliasapollyon]

Mike is clearly asking you to help somebody else. Not him.

Theoretically, the following sentences would have the same problem as the "Mike" sentence if the "it" were taken to refer to the golf course.

The golf course named "Crazy Golf" awaits you to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course.
It (=The golf course named "Crazy Golf") awaits you to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course.

If the "it" were treated as a dummy subject, the problem would not exist.

 

[5jj]

But it's not a dummy subject.

The golf course named "Crazy Golf" awaits you to test your golfing abilities at a challenging but extremely fun course.

The only 'problem' with that sentence is that it's clunky. Delete the first four words and it's fine.

 

[raymondaliasapollyon]

I suppose "he asked me to help a man" is also problematic if "he" and "a man" refer to the same person.

Theoretically, the original golf course sentence has the same problem if the "it" is taken to refer to the golf course. There's even a technical term for it, i.e., Binding Condition C (or Binding Principle C) violation.

If the offending phrase is removed, the "it" could refer to the golf course:

The crazy golf in Camden has been rebuilt recently and it awaits you to test your golfing abilities.

 

[5jj]

I suppose "he asked me to help a man" is also problematic if "he" and "a man" refer to the same person.

But for native speakers they will not refer to the same person except in rather unusual contexts.

Theoretically, the original golf course sentence has the same problem.

The original golf course sentence does not have a problem.

You are seeing problems where none exist.