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Anonymous

10-13-2004, 10:21 AM

Pete

10-13-2004, 08:48 PM

Are these sentences correct:
1-You shouldn't watch TV to do your homework.
2-To do your homework, you shouldn't watch TV.

Which one corresponds to meaning a and which one to meaning b:
a-You should do your homework and therefore you shouldn't watch TV.
b-If you want to do your homework, you shouldn't watch TV.
These don't sound natural to me; I hesitate to say what meanings were intended.

The first literally means, "you should not watch TV for the purpose of doing your homework." But I don't think that makes a lot of sense, at least not without some very specific context.

Anonymous

10-14-2004, 12:06 AM

Thanks Pete,

Maybe my intended meaning wasn't really clear.

Consider:
1-In order to lose weight, you shouldn't eat fatty food.
2-To lose weight, you shouldn't eat fatty food.
3-You shouldn't eat fatty food to lose weight.
4-You shouldn't eat fatty food, to lose weight.

Are these correct?

Pete

10-15-2004, 05:25 AM

>Consider:
1-In order to lose weight, you shouldn't eat fatty food. [Ok.]
2-To lose weight, you shouldn't eat fatty food. [Ok. Probably a bit more common than #1.]
3-You shouldn't eat fatty food to lose weight. [Grammatically ok, but it would mean: There may be reasons for eating fatty food, doing it in order to lose weight is not one of them.]
4-You shouldn't eat fatty food, to lose weight. [No.]

Anonymous

10-15-2004, 11:42 AM

Thanks Pete,

How about:

"You shouldn't eat fatty food, so that you may lose weight."

(If the sentence is correct, I think the comma is essential.)

Pete

10-15-2004, 06:03 PM

Thanks Pete,

How about:

"You shouldn't eat fatty food, so that you may lose weight."

(If the sentence is correct, I think the comma is essential.)
Yes, sounds ok. I agree that you do need the comma in this sentence.

Anonymous

10-16-2004, 01:54 AM

Thanks a lot Pete.