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as a slave
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navi
2024-11-09 12:21:03 UTC
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Which are correct:

1) They kidnapped him to toil as a slave.
2) He was kidnapped to toil as a slave.

3) They kidnapped him to make him toil as a slave.
4) He was kidnapped to make him toil as a slave.


--
Gratefully,
Navi


Lost in the Twilight Zone of the English language
Obsessed with ambiguity
Interested in strange structures
Athel Cornish-Bowden
2024-11-09 15:06:19 UTC
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Post by navi
1) They kidnapped him to toil as a slave.
2) He was kidnapped to toil as a slave.
Neither of those?
Post by navi
3) They kidnapped him to make him toil as a slave.
4) He was kidnapped to make him toil as a slave.
They're OK, but a bit stilted -- we don't say "toil" much nowadays. In
any case, you don't need the word at all, why not "He was kidnapped to
make him a slave"? -- shorter, more the sort of thing someone might say.
--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly
in England until 1987.
Athel Cornish-Bowden
2024-11-09 17:42:17 UTC
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Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden
Post by navi
1) They kidnapped him to toil as a slave.
2) He was kidnapped to toil as a slave.
Neither of those?
The ? was a typo: Neither of those.
Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden
Post by navi
3) They kidnapped him to make him toil as a slave.
4) He was kidnapped to make him toil as a slave.
They're OK, but a bit stilted -- we don't say "toil" much nowadays. In
any case, you don't need the word at all, why not "He was kidnapped to
make him a slave"? -- shorter, more the sort of thing someone might say.
--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly
in England until 1987.
Hibou
2024-11-10 00:38:30 UTC
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Post by navi
1) They kidnapped him to toil as a slave.
2) He was kidnapped to toil as a slave.
Those don't work at all.
Post by navi
3) They kidnapped him to make him toil as a slave.
4) He was kidnapped to make him toil as a slave.
The 'to' doesn't work; I'd be happier with 'and'.

They kidnapped him and made him toil as a slave.

Or

They kidnapped him, intending to make him toil as a slave.

But haven't you put those to us before? They seem familiar. I wonder if
we gave the same answers.
navi
2024-11-10 07:54:20 UTC
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Thank you both very much,

Hibou, I might have actually, but I don't seem to find the question (and
the answers) in my files. I will look some more.

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