Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

I found the following in a text book. It seems to me that "to be" is unnecessary ie redundant.

I found the condition of the consoles to be below required standards


Can anyone of the grammarian ilk shed some light on this. Any views ?
regards
basil

[guest of Japan]

I don't think I can explain why it works very well, but I can say that the sentence is completely acceptable. I say and write such sentences often.

I found the party to be a bit of a drag.
I found his personality to be lacking in the humor department.
I found the conditions on the golf course to be subpar.

I suppose the "to be" is a bit redundant, but perhaps it is supposed to be so as to insure that the reader or listener knows that you are talking about the state of the subject.

Sorry, that's the best I can do. My grammar book is at school.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to tell us the definitive answer.

[Mark-O]

I agree mostly with what Guest of Japan says - seems feasible to me.

If one interchanges "below" with "above" then the sentence is arguably less awkward/cumbersome. Maybe you're distracted by the repetition of "be" in both "to BE" and "BElow"?

[johnslat]

I'd say it's simply "optional ellipsis", as in the following:

He seems (to be) confused.

They appear (to be) angry.

Regards,
John

[mjed9]

Isn't this the use of the subjunctive? I heard recently that this is more particular to British English.

[Mark-O]

Being British, I'd certainly be naturally inclined to include the "to be", but would accept and understand it without.

[stillnosheep]

[vre]

I think it is optional ellipsis, not necessarily redundant, dependant on whether or not there is clarity in context.

Q. How can I highlight another poster's text in order to place it as a quote in my own post?

[stillnosheep]

Nevertheless in most circumstances "The condition of the consoles was/is below the required standard" is to be preferred, being shorter, simpler, and easier to understand, especially for a non-native speaker, as it doesn't contain the complex verb form.

Despite this in some cases the original formulation is useful to make clear that emphasis is being palced on the judgement/opinion being expressed, not on any objective quality of the consoles.

"You claim that they were fine. I found the condition of the consoles to be substandard, as did the local trading standards officer, please replace within seven days or I shall find myself with no choice but to scream and scream until I burst, as will my Solicitor."

... "to be" or not "to be", that seems to be the question ...

[anthyp]

[stillnosheep]

Q. How can I highlight another poster's text in order to place it as a quote in my own post?

A. By selecting the "Quote' button above and to the right of the posting, part of which you wish to include as a quote. You can then delete the parts that you don't need in your reply.

If you wish to include multiple quotes or quotes from more than one poster in the same reply you will have to type the following commands before and after the sentence(s) you wish to quote: [quote="stillnosheep"] [/quote], or simply [quote] [/quote] You can then type the sentences(s) you wish to quote between the begin quote and end quote commands.

[stillnosheep]

Superb example, anthyp. Sometimes the meaning is clear from the context and exactness can be sacrificed to avoid complexity. But sometimes accuracy is important, even at the cost of simplicity.

[guest of Japan]

For quoting you can also highlight what you want to quote, then go to "Edit" and click "copy." Place your curser where you want to put the quote. Then click "paste" from the tool bar at the top.

[stillnosheep]

[guest of Japan]

If you click the quote botton before and after you quote both chronologically and spacially then you can get the cute boxes.