ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: so it be

Marius Hancu — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:49:21 GMT

BTW, this is old fashioned now.

Re: so it be

pructus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:46:58 GMT

Thanks, Marius !!

I understand..

Re: so it be

Marius Hancu — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:31:55 GMT

Always give the link.

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Undoubtedly there is a right way of reading, so it be sternly subordinated. Man thinking must not be subdued by his instruments. Books are for the scholar’s idle times. When he can read God directly the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men’s transcripts of their readings.

http://www.bartleby.com/268/8/33.html

be is subjunctive here.

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Undoubtedly there is a right way of reading, so it be sternly subordinated.

reads, IMO:

Undoubtedly there is a right way of reading, so that it be sternly subordinated.

Undoubtedly there is a right way of reading, so that/in such way that it should be sternly subordinated.

or, even simpler, but a bit less exact:

Undoubtedly there is a right way of reading, in such way that it is sternly subordinated.

so it be

pructus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:09:30 GMT

Undoubtedly there is a right way of reading, so it be sternly subordinated. Man Thinking must not be subdued by his instruments.
**
From Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The American Scholar".

The underlined part...

Why bare infinitive?

And what should it mean?

Does it mean "There is a right way of reading, so it must be sternly subordinated"?