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On the road

 
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RedRose



Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 2735
Location: GuangZhou, China
PostPosted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:03 pm    Post subject: On the road Reply with quote
Dear Teachers:

Today I watched a sitcom called Tow and a half men in which a woman tells Alan and Charlie:"I married a rich man, his parents always hated me. maybe because when we met, he was on the road to becoming a Congressman, but I am still on the road"

Teachers, my question is:

1). What does "on the road" mean here? the two "on the road" here means the same thing?

2). Why is it "on the road to becomING a congressman", instead of "on the road to become a congressman"?

Thanks in advance
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2006



Joined: 27 Nov 2006
Posts: 610
PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 4:06 pm    Post subject: Re: On the road Reply with quote
2006 wrote:
RedRose wrote:
Dear Teachers:

Today I watched a sitcom called Two and a half men in which a woman tells Alan and Charlie:"I married a rich man, his parents always hated me. maybe because when we met, he was on the road to becoming a Congressman, but I am still on the road"

Teachers, my question is:

1). What does "on the road" mean here? The first "on the road" means 'on the way', 'progressing toward the goal of'. It means that "he" had started doing some things that he hoped would eventually result in him becoming a congressman.

Do the two "on the road" here means the same thing? Not really. Actually, without context, I am not sure what she meant but I would guess that the second "on the road" means something like 'in an unsettled state', 'not having accomplished whatever it is she wishes to accomplish in her life'.

2). Why is it "on the road to becomING a congressman", instead of "on the road to become a congressman"? "on the road to" is usually followed by a noun: 'on the road to Hong Kong', 'on the road to ruin', 'on the road to success'. So therefore we use the gerund "becoming" rather than the infinitive "to become".
If you say 'on the road to become', it sounds like the reason he is on the road is to become a congressman'. But 'on the road to becoming' correctly expresses the intended meaning of advancing toward the goal of becoming...

Thanks in advance
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RedRose



Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 2735
Location: GuangZhou, China
PostPosted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
A million thanks to Teacher 2006. Great teacher.

Thanks for correcting all my mistakes and your excellent explanation.
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