a. He'll tell you things to make you anxious.
Is (a) grammatically correct?
I think it is. But how would you parse it. I think 'to make you anxious' postmodifies 'things'. Would you agree with that?
The sentence means:
b. He'll tell you things that will make you anxious.
and not:
c. He'll tell you things in order to make you anxious.
(c) doesn't make sense. You can't make someone anxious just by telling them 'things'.
Would you agree with that?
Many thanks.
things to make you anxious
Moderator: Alan
- Alan
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Re: things to make you anxious
I disagree with your semantic judgment: both readings make sense, and either is possible depending on context, with the grammatical analysis varying according to meaning.
1. The 'purpose' interpretation: the infinitive phrase would be understood as modifying the verb.
2. The 'result' interpretation: the infinitive phrase would (indeed) be understood as postmodifying the noun.
1. The 'purpose' interpretation: the infinitive phrase would be understood as modifying the verb.
2. The 'result' interpretation: the infinitive phrase would (indeed) be understood as postmodifying the noun.