Carried to extremes, such behavior could be...

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HiWould this sentence be natural in everyday English? I read it in a dictionary as one of the example sentences of 'carry'.Carried to extremes, such behavior can be self-destructive.I am asking this because any kind of behavior carried to extremes can be self-destructive.Thanks,Tom

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Mr. TomWould this sentence be natural in everyday English?

It is perhaps a bit literary for every day, but it is fine.

Mr. TomI am asking this because any kind of behavior carried to extremes can be self-destructive.

I can't agree. Being gentle and kind doesn't qualify. The point is that in moderation, the behavior is not harmful, like a glass of chianti with your pizza twice a year.

CalifJim · Answer

Mr. TomWould this sentence be natural in everyday English?
Carried to extremes, such behavior can be self-destructive.

It's natural for written English, but I can't imagine anyone coming up with it in a casual conversation.

Mr. TomI am asking this because any kind of behavior carried to extremes can be self-destructive.

I think I've lost the train of thought here.

In any case the expression isn't used a lot. Here are the only four instances of it I found on fraze.it.

Carried to extremes, such an approach could be sinister and undemocratic.
That kind of dieting is frequently carried to extremes unhealthy for both the fetus and the mother.
Much of it makes for sad reading, exemplifying the truism that virtues carried to extremes transform themselves into vices.
The risk is that the practice can easily be carried to extremes at the expense of helping the child develop other human contacts or an interest in reading.

CJ

Carried to extremes, such behavior could be...

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