is useful for you to

N

navi

Banned
armenian
Can one say:
1-This tape is helpful for you to practice your English.
2-This tape is useful for you to practice your English.

3-This tape is helpful for you to practice your English with.
4-This tape is useful for you to practice your English with.

I think 1 and 2 are just shortened forms of 3 and 4. But I am not sure that any of these sentence work, especially the ones with "helpful".

They are supposed to mean: This tape can help you practice your English.

Gratefully,
Navi.
 
    • They all sound idiomatic to me, although I like your last, supposed-to-mean sentence best: This tape can help you practice your English. That's the shortest, most direct way to say it; why would you want to use any of the others?
     
    Thank you very much Parla for all your replies.

    I just try to test sentences. Why I do it is a longish story. Let's just say that others do or might use sentences such as these. I want to grasp the different structures that are used.

    What do you think of this one:

    5-This is a useful/helpful tape for you to practice your English with.
     
    (5) has much the same meaning as (1)-(4).
    The syntax is more interesting than the semantics. The infinitival construction in (5) ("for you to practice your English with") can be construed in two ways - as a purpose adjunct as in (1)-(4), or as an infinitival relative clause modifying "tape" - though with much the same meaning in either case.
     
    Thank you very much Pertinax.

    Very interesting point. The syntax is ambiguous but the sentence is not.

    Gratefully,
    Navi.
     
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