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Hans51 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Too to / so that S can't

Here in my country, we have learned that too ~ to structures can be interchangeable with so~ that S can't.

For example,

1) I am too tired to go out. = I am so tired that I can't go out.

2) I am too busy to meet you. = I am so busy that I can't meet you.

3) I am too young to die. = I am so young that I can't die.

Do you experts agree with this or are there some natural sentences that are interchangeable and are there not?
  

Top answer

The right-hand sentences have roughly the same kind of meaning, but generally speaking they seem less idiomatic and less likely to be used. "I am so young that I can't die", especially, feels odd (or doesn't mean what one usually would intend). On the other hand, "I'm so tired (that) I can't keep my eyes open" is natural, so the issues here are quite subtle.

— GPY

  • The right-hand sentences have roughly the same kind of meaning, but generally speaking they seem less idiomatic and less likely to be used.
  • "I am so young that I can't die", especially, feels odd (or doesn't mean what one usually would intend).
  • On the other hand, "I'm so tired (that) I can't keep my eyes open" is natural, so the issues here are quite subtle.
  • I think at least part of the explanation is to do with how well the word "can't" fits the verb/situation.
  • "keeping one's eyes open" is something that one can try, or struggle, to do, and fail.
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1 Answers
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The right-hand sentences have roughly the same kind of meaning, but generally speaking they seem less idiomatic and less likely to be used. "I am so young that I can't die", especially, feels odd (or doesn't mean what one usually would intend). On the other hand, "I'm so tired (that) I can't keep my eyes open" is natural, so the issues here are quite subtle. I think at least part of the explanatio
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