Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Seoulman69]

Here is the question:

A: Why don't you let me do that?
B: Of course. You can do that......................
a - if you want
b - if you want to
c - if you want to do
d - if you want to be done

From the multiple choices, which is the correct answer and why?

Thanks.

[storysinger81]

both 1 and 2 are natural.

3 is wrong.

4 is possible, depending on what "that" is and who is doing it.

I would choose 1 because there's some stupid rule about ending sentences with a preposition. But that's a style rule, not a grammar one.

[Privateer]

1 and 2 are both the same and both correct.

3 and 4 are both incorrect because they omit an object for the transitive verb 'do', i.e. 3 should read 'if you want to do it' and 4 'if you want it to be done'. In both examples, 'it' could be replaced by 'that' or 'something' or another object.

[Seoulman69]

The English hagwon gives the answer as b. This is not the first English question I have been asked about which is ambiguous in it's answers.

So much emphasis on often Dickensian English questions seems redundant to me.

[storysinger81]

In defense of my #4 is possible answer:

The wife walks in and sees that her husband hasn't cleaned the dishes as he agreed. She is tired because she already did all the other housework and all he had to do was the stupid dishes.

She begins to do them as she huffs and puffs loudly, distracting the husband from watching his K1 fight on TV.

(Clueless about wife's growing resentment) "Oh honey, why don't you let me do that?"
(Bitterly through her teeth) "Of course. You can do that if you want to be done."

[The Cosmic Hum]

[lifeinkorea]

I have no idea what storysinger was getting at with "Of course. You can do that if you want to be done."

Here is my reasoning.

Students are assigned homework which they have to do at some point. When they get home, they can do it then if they want to be done or they can wait till later at night to do it. Do they want to be done now or later?

[storysinger81]

That's the G-rated version.