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Hans51 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Usage and meaning of 'plan'
I am posting this question again because I am still confused and would like to hear from some other native English speakers.
1 something that you intend to do or achieve
plan (to do something) 1) There are no plans to build new offices.
2 a set of things to do in order to achieve something, especially one that has been considered in detail in advance
plan (to do something) 2) The government has announced plans to create one million new training places.
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/plan
This has been a question I would like to solve for a long time and I would like to ask if there are two ways of understanding a plan(plans) to V phrases like in #1 plans is equal to to build new offices, plans = to build new offices but in #2, to create one million new training places modifies plans for purposes like "a meeting to discuss the issue" or here also plans = to create one million new training places? What do you native English speakers think?
"The project is part of the government's three-year economic innovation plan to boost domestic demand and raise the employment rate."
And then here, which rule do you think I should apply to the phrase?
Thank you so much as usual in advance.
1 something that you intend to do or achieve
plan (to do something) 1) There are no plans to build new offices.
2 a set of things to do in order to achieve something, especially one that has been considered in detail in advance
plan (to do something) 2) The government has announced plans to create one million new training places.
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/plan
This has been a question I would like to solve for a long time and I would like to ask if there are two ways of understanding a plan(plans) to V phrases like in #1 plans is equal to to build new offices, plans = to build new offices but in #2, to create one million new training places modifies plans for purposes like "a meeting to discuss the issue" or here also plans = to create one million new training places? What do you native English speakers think?
"The project is part of the government's three-year economic innovation plan to boost domestic demand and raise the employment rate."
And then here, which rule do you think I should apply to the phrase?
Thank you so much as usual in advance.
Top answer
In the noun phrase "plan to do sth", "to do sth" always modifies "plan". Possible differences arise in the nuance of the word "plan", which can mean an ambition, intention or proposal, or a specific set of actions that are to be carried out, or perhaps something between the two. (1) uses the former meaning (except in an unusual intepretation).
- In the noun phrase "plan to do sth", "to do sth" always modifies "plan".
- Possible differences arise in the nuance of the word "plan", which can mean an ambition, intention or proposal, or a specific set of actions that are to be carried out, or perhaps something between the two.
- (1) uses the former meaning (except in an unusual intepretation).
- (2) has more of the latter meaning, as does the final sentence.
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3 Answers
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In the noun phrase "plan to do sth", "to do sth" always modifies "plan". Possible differences arise in the nuance of the word "plan", which can mean an ambition, intention or proposal, or a specific set of actions that are to be carried out, or perhaps something between the two. (1) uses the former meaning (except in an unusual intepretation). (2) has more of the latter meaning, as does the final
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Great! Thank you so much! And I was wondering if there is a rule that some particular verbs like announce is used with the noun plan to always mean a set of things to do in order to achieve something? Or plan can be either meaning with any verbs including announce? I am asking this because the dictionary showed an example with the verb announce to define the seco
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Hans51He has announced his plans to retire. I think that here his plans means his intention and his plans = to retire so the meaning of plan is different from a set of things to do in order to achieve something here, right?Right. It is unlikely that anyone would announce a sequence of actions to be performed in order to retire.
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