0
Licinio Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

as + adj + to be

I understand this construction has a concessive meaning:

Learned as he is, he can't read Latin. (=however learned he is, ...)

Can it also be used with a causative meaning?

Loath as I was to spend another day cooped up in a bus, I returned my ticket and changed it for the night departure (as I was loath to...?)

Thanks
  

Top answer

Someone may correct me, but I think we use -ing with loath. I was loath to spending....

— Philip

  • Someone may correct me, but I think we use -ing with loath.
  • I was loath to spending....
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
Someone may correct me, but I think we use -ing with loath. I was loath to spending....
0
0
I think you refer to the verb loathe, which, like other verbs of liking, is usually followed by the -ing form when the statement is about general situations.
In the example above, however, we find the adjective loath followed by an infinitive clause as complement.
0
0
licinioCan it also be used with a causative meaning?
Yes, as shown in your example. It seems to me, though, that this usage is rare compared to the concessive use.

Hence, 1 is probably heard as more typical by a native speaker than 2.

1 As tired as I was, I drove on for another 50 miles.
2 As tired as I was, I got into bed and fell asl
0

Related Questions