Good to sit

Question

1-He is good to drive the truck.

Can't this sentence mean:

a-He is in a condition to drive the truck. He is not drunk or ill or....
b-He is suitable for that job. He can be hired as a truck-driver.
c-He is only suitable for that work. There isn't much else he can do. (as in: He is good to sit and complain and listen to loud music.)
d-It is kind of him to drive the truck.

Gratefully,
Navi.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

navitasanCan't this sentence mean:a-He is in a condition to drive the truck. He is not drunk or ill or....b-He is suitable for that job. He can be hired as a truck-driver.c-He is only suitable for that work. There isn't much else he can do. (as in: He is good to sit and complain and listen to loud music.)d-It is kind of him to drive the truck.

It seems to me that in the right context it might mean any of those things. However, I can't quite convince myself that meaning c is very easy to contextualize. Maybe that one is not really possible at all. Meaning d is also difficult to see because the usual phrasing is It is good of him to drive the truck, but in the right context it might be understandable. I would stick with a and b as the better paraphrases of the original.

CJ

Navitasan · Answer

Thank you very much CalifJim.

What do you think of these:

a-He is good only to complain.
b-He is good only for complaining.

Meaning: He cannot do anything useful other than complain (if that is useful). He can serve no purpose but to formulate complaints.

Gratefully.
Navi,

CalifJim · Answer

navitasanWhat do you think of these:a-He is good only to complain.b-He is good only for complaining.

The second is better in my opinion. I would not use either one, however. I say,

The only thing he's good for is [complaining / to complain].

I slightly prefer the version with the -ing.

CJ

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