finding the subject

Question

"I gave her your proposal that I was given to take a look at."In the context, it's I who take a look at the proposal.In a different context, can it be she who take a look at the proposal?

Shawn79 · Accepted Answer

For it to be she who is to look at the proposal you would need to say: I gave her your proposal that I was given for her to take a look at.

CalifJim · Answer

JungKimI gave her your proposal that I was given to take a look at.

A possessive (your) with a relative clause (that I was given ...) is anomalous.

You need something more like this:

I gave her the proposal that you gave me to take a look at.
(I was supposed to look at the proposal. I gave it to her.)
___

If she is supposed to take a look at the proposal:

I gave her the proposal to take a look at. It was the proposal you gave me.
________

Maybe you can get all that information in one sentence in your native language, but in English you have to break it up into two or more sentences.
______________________________

In fact, I think you are trying to build these two sentences, but you're trying to do it with the infinitive construction 'to take a look at', and you should be using finite clauses, thus:

I gave her the proposal { that [I was given / you gave me] } so that she could take a look at it.
I gave her the proposal that { [I was given / you gave me] so that I could take a look at it }.

That way you can say exactly who was supposed to take a look at the proposal.

CJ

finding the subject

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