Timeline for Difference between "long/hope for A to do"
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jan 26, 2022 at 2:16 | comment | added | Vegawatcher | Yes, that is why I listed so many constructions above where “for” did not necessarily appear in all of them even with the same word. There are also different nuances. “I hope for your safe return” sounds like it is borrowing a construction from “praying for your safe return.” and is slightly less assertive than “I hope you (will) return safely” or is inversion “you will return safely, I hope.” | |
| Jan 22, 2022 at 20:46 | comment | added | Masa Sakano | I agree that "I hope that you return" sounds more natural than "I hope for your return". But I realise "I hope for your safe return" sounds perfectly natural. These things may be highly context-sensitive? | |
| Jan 22, 2022 at 20:06 | vote | accept | Masa Sakano | ||
| Jan 21, 2022 at 15:08 | comment | added | Vegawatcher | To be clearer, "for your sake" means "transferring a benefit to you." "Happy for you" means "you" are causing an emotion in someone else, and "for you to return" refers to your action and can't normally refer to a benefit you passively receive. | |
| Jan 21, 2022 at 15:06 | comment | added | Vegawatcher | The difference between "I hope so for you" and "I long so for you" is an excellent idea and an excellent diagnostic! As for "happy for you to return," I think it can mean "happy, to return for your sake" in only a marginal way. "Happy, for your sake, to return" is more acceptable, but would require a heavy change in intonation. "Happy for you" and "for you to return" both have meanings that conflict with "for your sake," and so I would always edit "for you" to "for your sake" if you had to put it into the middle of the phrase "happy....to return." | |
| Jan 19, 2022 at 23:18 | comment | added | Masa Sakano | Great analysis. I (accustomed to BrE) basically agree with all your points, except I'm not sure about "happy for you to return"; can't it mean "I can happily return for your sake"? In other words, isn't it confusing with "I am happy to return for (the sake of) you"? After reading your answer, I am now beginning to think a difference is "I hope so for you" is fine, whereas "I long so for you" is unnatural. What do you think? | |
| Jan 19, 2022 at 22:16 | comment | added | KillingTime | I'm think that the introduction of other examples ("dream of", "happy about", etc.) actually cloud the issue of the difference between "long for" and "hope for". | |
| S Jan 19, 2022 at 22:12 | review | First answers | |||
| Jan 19, 2022 at 22:16 | |||||
| S Jan 19, 2022 at 22:12 | history | answered | Vegawatcher | CC BY-SA 4.0 |