A confusing sentence

Question

?- A. We're going to remodel the school for orphans.

¦Q1) What does sentence A imply?

1. We're going to remodel the school that is for orphans. (In A, if the school is already for orphans and it needs remodelling)

2. For the benefit of orphans, we're going to remodel the school. (In A, if the school hasn't been for orphans and now it needs remodelling to use it for them)

3. Either 1 or 2 according to context.

¦Q2) Is "for orphans" grammatically modifying "the school", if A implies 1?

¦Q3) Is "for orphans" grammatically modifying "remodel" or the whole sentence, if A implies 2?

- B. I would like to buy the car for taking my daughter to school.

¦Q4) As for B, which one below is the correct analysis or interpretation of "for taking my daughter"?

4. I would like to buy the car that is for taking my daughter to school. (In B, if "for taking my daughter to school" is grammatically modifying "the car")

5. For the purpose of taking my daughter to school, I would like to buy the car. (In B, If "for taking my daughter to school" is grammatically modifying "buy" or the whole sentence)

? My answers

Q1) 3

Q2) Yes

Q3) Yes

Q4) Only 4, unlike sentence A, because it is somewhat hard to read sentence B as implying 5.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

fire11. We're going to remodel the school that is for orphans. (In A, if the school is already for orphans and it needs remodelling)

Right. If it was the other, you would have to say it differently, maybe "We are going to remodel the school to accommodate orphans." "Remodel" does not mean that normally, and "for" is too weak to get it there. But I suppose someone might say it that way unthinkingly.

fire1¦Q2) Is "for orphans" grammatically modifying "the school", if A implies 1?

Yes.

fire1¦Q3) Is "for orphans" grammatically modifying "remodel" or the whole sentence, if A implies 2?

It does not imply that.

fire1- B. I would like to buy the car for taking my daughter to school.

This is possible in the right context, as is almost always the case with a grammatically sound statement, but it would be unusual if all you meant was "I want to buy this car to take my daughter to school in." or "I would like to buy a car so I can take my daughter to school." It might be an answer to the question "What would you like to buy the car for?" which is itself a bit odd, not least because there would have to be a reason for the definite article.

fire15. For the purpose of taking my daughter to school, I would like to buy the car. (In B, If "for taking my daughter to school" is grammatically modifying "buy" or the whole sentence)

This one.

Q3 is not a yes-or-no question.

fire1Q4) Only 4, unlike sentence A, because it is somewhat hard to read sentence B as implying 5.

It is somewhat hard to read it as implying anything, but 4 is not right. It takes a stretch of the imagination for there to be a car whose predetermined reason for existing is to take your daughter to school, and there would have to be other cars under consideration whose purpose was other than that.

A confusing sentence

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