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which is correct?

 
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Chan-Seung Lee



Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:08 pm    Post subject: which is correct? Reply with quote
Quote:
Of all the clues God left for us to find, the greatest is the light, the Shekhinah. From that clue we can unfold a true picture of the deity.


I think that 'for' should be removed in the bold sentence: 'God left us to find' is right instead of 'God left for us to find'. Could you tell me if my view is right or wrong? If wrong, can you tell me why?

Thanks.
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Mary W. Ng



Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 1:54 pm    Post subject: which is correct? Reply with quote
Quote:
Of all the clues God left for us to find, the greatest is the light, the Shekhinah. From that clue we can unfold a true picture of the deity.

I think that 'for' should be removed in the bold sentence: 'God left us to find' is right instead of 'God left for us to find'. Could you tell me if my view is right or wrong? If wrong, can you tell me why?


No, you can't remove 'for' . Doing so will totally change the meaning of the sentence.

In the underlined sentence, 'us' is the indirect object. If you remove 'for', 'us' will become the direct object.
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Mary W. Ng
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hiromichi



Joined: 12 Oct 2005
Posts: 1380
PostPosted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mary W. Ng: I get it. Thank you.
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Mary W. Ng



Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hiromichi,

I'm glad I was able to help you.

If you have trouble with subject-verb agreement or parallel constructions, I'm available to help.

Laughing
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Mary W. Ng
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IanT



Joined: 13 Sep 2012
Posts: 340
Location: Spain
PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Depends.

We can distinguish between:

"He left us to cope on our own." in which case "us" is a direct object,

and

"he left us a note", in which case the direct object is clearly the note and "us", although it doesn't look like it, is an indirect object.

It's like a short version of "he left a note for us"

In the example here, the part "he left us to find" would look like the first example, but the presence of "clues" as the direct object earlier in the sentence should help the reader to realize that "us" is still an indirect object, even if the "for" isn't there.

So for me, the sentence is the same, and just as good, with or without the "for."

I hope that helps. If it's confusing, please ask more questions.
Ian
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hiromichi



Joined: 12 Oct 2005
Posts: 1380
PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
IanT:
I get your point. Then my next question is which is more natural.

By the way I responded by mistake to the reply to the original question despite that I was not an original questioner.
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IanT



Joined: 13 Sep 2012
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Location: Spain
PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
In this quote it's slightly more natural with "for".

"For" makes it clear that, according to the writer, God really wanted us to find the clues. Without "for" it could seem as if God were a little more unconcerned.

But in general with "for" is a little more formal, and without less so.

Hope helps,
Ian
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www.EnglishSwearing.com - How to use all the bad words! ... and ... www.throdworld.com - Silly verses to make you happy.

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hiromichi



Joined: 12 Oct 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
IanT,

Thank you.
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