To/to be answered

Question

Most of the final English exam questions were too difficult ..... .

1) to answer
2) to be answered

To me, "too difficult to be answered" means "too difficult to be answerable" and "too difficult to answer" means "too difficult for students to answer". One looks at the questions themselves and the other looks at them from the students' point of view. Both can be correct, but I believe #1 is probably more commonly used. (Maybe 'To answer' implies to answer within reason and understanding of the question whether you answer correctly or not.)

What do you think?

Thank you. :-)

Clive · Accepted Answer

To me, "too difficult to be answered" means "too difficult to be answerable" and "too difficult to answer" means "too difficult for students to answer". One looks at the questions themselves and the other looks at them from the students' point of view. Both can be correct, but I believe #1 is probably more commonly used. I tend to agree.

(Maybe 'To answer' implies to answer w

(Maybe 'To answer' implies to answer within reason and understanding of the question whether you answer correctly or not.) I don't agree. I think you are over-thinking this!

I'd say the most natural English is simply this. "Most of the final English exam questions were too difficult."

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousWhat do you think?

I think we should take the simplest analysis possible. What does this exam item test?

This exam question is designed to see if the student knows that infinitive modifiers in English are written with active infinitives (to eat; to see) even when they are passive in meaning (to be eaten; to be seen).

That pizza is too hot to eat means that it is too hot to be eaten; nevertheless, the grammar of English is such that we say it and write it the first way.

Similarly, when we mean That man is too far away to be seen, we say it and write it as That man is too far away to see, regardless of the fact that, to someone who doesn't know how English works, it sounds as if the man is blind because of his distance from us.

When we need a modifying infinitive with an active meaning, we still use the active infinitive. This causes a few ambiguous sentences, because the active infinitive is used for both active and passive meanings. But that doesn't bother us English speakers. It doesn't happen very often.

The chicken is ready to eat.  (active infinitive with active meaning)
~ The chicken is hungry.  Somebody should feed the chicken.
The chicken is ready to eat.  (active infinitive with passive meaning)
~ The chicken is cooked and ready to be eaten.  Let's eat the chicken!

CJ

To/to be answered

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions