[Grammar] when Plato ordered items to be reused difficult to find.

[Son Ho]

Good morning, everyone. I came across a sentence in an English workbook. I don't know if it is correct or not. Could you please help me with the two problems in the sentence? Can I replace as soon as instead of as early as? And difficult to find is correct? Thank you in advance.

1. Recycling began as early as 400 BC when Plato ordered items to be reused difficult to find.

 

[tedmc]

1. No, you cannot change "early" to "soon".

2. "Difficult to find" doesn't fit the sentence. What do you want to say?

 

[jutfrank]

No and no.

as soon as is not the same as as early as. They have very different uses.

The last half of the sentence is completely wrong. It's ungrammatical and incoherent. The correct way is like this:

Recycling began as early as 400 BC, when Plato ordered items that were difficult to find to be reused.

What exactly is the point of this sentence? Is it part of a reading passage? Or was it written deliberately wrong with the intention that the reader correct it?

 

[Son Ho]

What exactly is the point of this sentence? Is it part of a reading passage? Or was it written deliberately wrong with the intention that the reader correct it?

It is part of a reading passage in an English workbook. Now I know it is wrong. Thank you very much. By the way, could I rewrite the sentence with to be found?

Recycling began as early as 400 BC, when Plato ordered items that were difficult to be found to be reused.

 

[Rover_KE]

It is part of a reading passage in an English workbook.

Always tell us the title and author of any book you are quoting from, PLEASE!

 

[Phaedrus]

The last half of the sentence is completely wrong. It's ungrammatical and incoherent. The correct way is like this:

Recycling began as early as 400 BC, when Plato ordered items that were difficult to find to be reused.

Another possibility:

Recycling began as early as 400 BC, when Plato ordered that items be reused which were difficult to find.