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MichalS Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
For to do sth
hello
A couple of times I came across an expression "for to do something" appearing in contexts where just "to do sth" would be more suitable I think. Take for example a line from The Carter Family song Can the Circle Be Unbroken. It says:
I was standing by my window
On a cold and cloudy day
When I saw that hearse come a-rolling
For to carry my mother away
Ok I know that some rules do not apply in poetry but I'm positive I saw this 'structure' in other contexts too.
I failed to find it in my dictionaries so could someone please direct me to an online source on this topic or explain it to me? Is it archaic, informal, etc..
Thank you,
Michal
A couple of times I came across an expression "for to do something" appearing in contexts where just "to do sth" would be more suitable I think. Take for example a line from The Carter Family song Can the Circle Be Unbroken. It says:
I was standing by my window
On a cold and cloudy day
When I saw that hearse come a-rolling
For to carry my mother away
Ok I know that some rules do not apply in poetry but I'm positive I saw this 'structure' in other contexts too.
I failed to find it in my dictionaries so could someone please direct me to an online source on this topic or explain it to me? Is it archaic, informal, etc..
Thank you,
Michal
Top answer
I went there for the purpose of (gerund) I went there [for] (infinitive) I think it's archaic, but it persists as a regional colloquialism and, as you note, in folk poetry: Simple Simon went a-fishin' For to catch a whale. But all the water that he had Was in his mother's pail. We natives all learned this stuff as children.
- I went there for the purpose of (gerund) I went there [for] (infinitive) I think it's archaic, but it persists as a regional colloquialism and, as you note, in folk poetry: Simple Simon went a-fishin' For to catch a whale.
- But all the water that he had Was in his mother's pail.
- We natives all learned this stuff as children.
- Sorry, not clever enough to find a scholarly analysis.
- Nothing past 19th century.
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5 Answers
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I went there for the purpose of (gerund)
I went there [for] (infinitive)
I think it's archaic, but it persists as a regional colloquialism and, as you note, in folk poetry:
Simple Simon went a-fishin'
For to catch a whale.
But all the water that he had
Was in his mother's pail.
We natives all learned this stuff as children.
Sorry, not clever en
I went there [for] (infinitive)
I think it's archaic, but it persists as a regional colloquialism and, as you note, in folk poetry:
Simple Simon went a-fishin'
For to catch a whale.
But all the water that he had
Was in his mother's pail.
We natives all learned this stuff as children.
Sorry, not clever en
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Thanks a lot! I appreciate more your personal judgement as a native than a scholary analysis 
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Yes it's a common expression in old folk songs but it isn't used in modern English.
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Thanks!
Folk songs are really cute in their way of saying things. I seem to remember Dylan singing "...no other choice except but for to go"
Folk songs are really cute in their way of saying things. I seem to remember Dylan singing "...no other choice except but for to go"
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Don't use poetry or song lyrics to discover how modern prose works - they do all sorts of things to make the rhythm work and so on. Just enjoy it.
"no other choice but for to go" = "I had to go."
"no other choice but for to go" = "I had to go."
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