tie it for himself / tie it by myself

optimistic pessimist

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"The parents of Sikh children have two other responsibilities. If their child is a boy, he has to wear the traditional turban (see picture B) as soon as he is old enough to tie it for himself."
In the passage above, is it the same in meaning if "tie it for himself" is replaced by "tie it by himself" or "tie it on his own"?

source: https://www.google.co.jp/books/edit...e+it+for+himself"&pg=PA43&printsec=frontcover
 

Tarheel

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No. Say "tie it himself".

Added: "tie it on his own" (without help) could also work.
 
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optimistic pessimist

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Are "tie it himself" and "tie it on his own" the same in meaning? Do they both mean "tie it without help"?
 

5jj

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Barque

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I think the OP was asking why Tarheel in post #2 disagrees with "tie it by himself".

I'd also prefer "tie it himself" like Tarheel but "tie it by himself" should work too.

To the OP, you'll be understood better if you try to avoid typos--for example, you used "myself" in #5 instead of "himself".

Also, the sentence below needs to specify who or what you are referring to. "Why is he/she/it ..."

If so, why is saying "tie it by myself" wrong?

(Edited to delete last two lines. I misread the OP's post.)
 
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5jj

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Also, the sentence below needs to specify who or what you are referring to. "Why is he/she/it ..."
This seems OK to me: If so, why is saying "tie it by myself" wrong?
 

Barque

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Yes I agree. I misread.
 
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Tarheel

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I want to tie it by myself - I want to do it alone.

I want to tie it myself - I want to do it without help.

Others may disagree.
 

Barque

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I see what you mean. But I think "by myself" can mean both "alone" and "without help".
 

optimistic pessimist

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Thanks for the responses.
1. He has to wear the traditional turban as soon as he is old enough to tie it for himself.
2. He has to wear the traditional turban as soon as he is old enough to tie it himself.
3. He has to wear the traditional turban as soon as he is old enough to tie it on his own.

In short, am I correct if I say the three sentences above are the same in meaning?
 
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