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Youngbuts Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
about so +adjectives+ that clause
Hi, everyone.
In my country, I have been being taught that the two sentence below have similar meanings.
1. He studied so hard that he passed the test.
2. He studied hard enough to pass the test.
Recently, I have a question if they are really the same. Isn't the action of passing the test in #2 what not to happen until the referred time, while 'passing the test' in # 1 really happened? If so, how can I say with 'to-infinitive' to mean the closest to #1? Can I say "He studeied so hard only to pass the test" ?
Many thanks in advance.
In my country, I have been being taught that the two sentence below have similar meanings.
1. He studied so hard that he passed the test.
2. He studied hard enough to pass the test.
Recently, I have a question if they are really the same. Isn't the action of passing the test in #2 what not to happen until the referred time, while 'passing the test' in # 1 really happened? If so, how can I say with 'to-infinitive' to mean the closest to #1? Can I say "He studeied so hard only to pass the test" ?
Many thanks in advance.
Top answer
youngbuts Recently, I have a question if they are really the same They are not the same meaning. 1) Studying was a great effort for him. He studied a lot, probably more than necessary.
- youngbuts Recently, I have a question if they are really the same They are not the same meaning.
- 1) Studying was a great effort for him.
- He studied a lot, probably more than necessary.
- And because of this, he passed the test.
- 2) He did not put a lot of hard work in his studies.
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4 Answers
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youngbutsRecently, I have a question if they are really the sameThey are not the same meaning.
1) Studying was a great effort for him. He studied a lot, probably more than necessary. And because of this, he passed the test.
2) He did not put a lot of hard work in his studies. He only studied the material for the test. He passed the test.
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(2) does not definitely say that he passed the test. With no more context it would usually be understood that way, but it's possible that he studied hard enough but something else went wrong.
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Thank you for your kind and detailed answers. With your guides I guess I'm getting closer to the point. Still I have an unresolved question.
1. He studied really hard to pass the test.
From what you taught me, I'm considering that 'to pass the test' in #1 refers to a event that really happened. I'm understanding that #1 means he had studied hard, so that he passed the test. In
1. He studied really hard to pass the test.
From what you taught me, I'm considering that 'to pass the test' in #1 refers to a event that really happened. I'm understanding that #1 means he had studied hard, so that he passed the test. In
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Adverbs change the interpretation of any verb, including infinitives.
This includes the intensity and degree of the action.
"to pass the test" without any other context, implies that he passed, but does not say that he certainly passed it.
eg.
He studied really hard (in order) to pass the test, but he died before he could take it.
He studied really har
This includes the intensity and degree of the action.
"to pass the test" without any other context, implies that he passed, but does not say that he certainly passed it.
eg.
He studied really hard (in order) to pass the test, but he died before he could take it.
He studied really har
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