Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jasonlulu_2000]

�I can�t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven�t seen manyof you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed yourvictories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection ofnewspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven�t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth of your children, in my imagination.�

�I can�t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven�t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven�t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination.�

Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:

�It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardlessof our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path.�


As far as I learn, succeed is followed by "in doing" instead of " to do". So what do you make of this underlined sentence? What does it mean?




Thanks!

Jason

[IanT]

You are correct. Succeed is normally followed by "in doing".

The difference here is that "please" and "annoy" are not what the person succeeds in doing. They are the explanations of why the people succeed.

Imagine ... "some of you would succeed in order to please me and others would succeed in order to annoy me." ... and it should become clearer.

Hope helps,
Ian
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