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Navitasan Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Good to throw away

Which are correct:

1-This is a container which is useful to throw away.
2-This is a container the throwing away of which would be useful.

3-This is a dangerous animal which is good to kill.
4-This is a dangerous animal which it would be good to kill.

5-John is a troublesome employee who is good to dismiss.
6-John is a troublesome employee whom it is good to dismiss.

I don't like the ones in red. I would say 'This is a container which is useful to keep.' but not '...which is useful to throw away.' Maybe it is just me, but although the syntax of the two sentences are the same, the words makes 1 sound incorrect to me. The same goes for 3 and 5.
  

Top answer

I don't like the ones in red either, but the ones in blue aren't much better, I'm afraid. I think you need to go beyond correctness and find sentences that are more idiomatic. I think you want these: This container should be thrown away.

  • I don't like the ones in red either, but the ones in blue aren't much better, I'm afraid.
  • I think you need to go beyond correctness and find sentences that are more idiomatic.
  • I think you want these: This container should be thrown away.
  • This animal is so dangerous that it should be killed.
  • John is such a troublesome employee that he should be dismissed.
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1 Answers
0
I don't like the ones in red either, but the ones in blue aren't much better, I'm afraid.

I think you need to go beyond correctness and find sentences that are more idiomatic.

I think you want these:

This container should be thrown away.
This animal is so dangerous that it should be killed.
John is such a troublesome employee that he should be dismissed.

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