a grammar question

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Diamondrg

#205071 Fri, 10 Mar 06 10:59 PM

Which is correct?

Water was ---- cold ---- to make swimming quite impossible.

A) as / as
B) so / that
C) so / as
D) such / that
E) such / as

Diamondrg

Joined on Fri, Dec 2 2005

Turkey

Contributing Member (1,041)

Grammar

Swiss Jake

#205075 Fri, 10 Mar 06 11:42 PM

I don't know where you have gotten this from.

But I'd say:

The water was so cold that it made swimming (quite) impossible.

As the sentence is given, I don't think either of your choices is correct. The sentence does also not agree in tenses.

Jake

Swiss Jake

Joined on Fri, Dec 30 2005

Full Member (183)

Please, correct my mistakes in my posts. Thank you! "The only real mistake is the one from which you learn nothing." -- John Powell

Grammar, Tenses

Goodman

#205077 Fri, 10 Mar 06 11:47 PM

Hi Diamond,

Water was ---- cold ---- to make swimming quite impossible.
The only correct answer is: B) so / that

Ex: He is so lazy that he skipped taking showers for 3 days.

I am so full that I can hardly walk.

Goodman

Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005

Calif. USA

Senior Member (3,207)

The name says it all!

Grammar

Diamondrg

#205078 Fri, 10 Mar 06 11:51 PM

Isn't there such a structure as "so adj as to do sth" or "so as to do sth" in English? The sentence is from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English".

Diamondrg

Grammar

Goodman

#205084 Sat, 11 Mar 06 12:20 AM

You need to give us some sentences or context before we can help you.

The general answer is yes. "Would you be so kind as to give us a few examples?"

Goodman

Grammar

K.O.

#205165 Sat, 11 Mar 06 11:51 AM

Goodman wrote:

You need to give us some sentences or context before we can help you.

The general answer is yes. "Would you be so kind as to give us a few examples?"

Hi,

David Hume went so far as to argue that feelings of love and sexuality were the foundation of all human society.

Each of them gratefully took one, Frodo going so far as to take a second as well.

Later he states that after he had put them at ease by means of a few drinks he went so far as to ask them for their opinion of the bed.

Whether 'to go so far to do something' is an exceptional idiom or not, I think it can be taken as a reference when forming similar expressions.

K.O.

Joined on Fri, Jun 3 2005

Turkey

Full Member (180)

.O.

Expressions, Grammar, Idioms

paco2004

#205167 Sat, 11 Mar 06 12:06 PM

(1.) He is so honest as to be trusted by all.
= (2.) He is so honest that he is trusted by all.

#1 is becoming obsolete.

paco2004

Joined on Wed, Nov 17 2004

Senior Member (4,095)

In Japan today even dogs are learning how to bow-wow in English.

Grammar

Diamondrg

#205181 Sat, 11 Mar 06 12:52 PM

Paco2004 wrote:

(1.) He is so honest as to be trusted by all.
= (2.) He is so honest that he is trusted by all.

#1 is becoming obsolete.

Thank you, paco. I also notice there are sentences formed in the structure "as adj as to do sth" but the grammars I have do not mention such a structure. Does it exist?

- How on earth could you be as cold as to let that poor child die in front of your camera lens?

- Though the weather was cold and wet, it was not as cold as to make people feel uncomfortable.

- This idea was however attacked by the Italian anarchist militant Errico Malatesta, who went as far as to compare it to the discipline of the army.

The sentences are from Google. So is "so adj as to do sth" the same as "as adj as to do sth"?

Diamondrg

Grammar

K.O.

#205189 Sat, 11 Mar 06 01:09 PM

David Hume went (intransitive, dynamic verb turning, inevitably, the word between 'so and as' into an adverb) so far as to argue that feelings of love and sexuality were the foundation of all human society.

He is(a stative verb) so honest(adj.) as to be trusted by all.

Hi paco, Yes but you have missed something, that I said 'similar constructions', in which you may have to copy how the reference verb 'go' is.

For example: The baloon went so high as to be seen from everywhere.

She ran almost so fast as to catch the running train.