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The exception of "too...to..."

Forums: English, Esl, Grammar
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oristarA
 
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 02:07 am
The structure "too...to..." is typical to indicate an improbable situation because of the preceeding condition, for example:

I'm too busy to help you right now.

It means I am too busy at this moment so that I am not able to help you right now.

But I come across an exception today:

"some physicists, alas, have been all too happy to fill the vacuum with beginner’s mistakes“

In this case, the structure "too...to..." only means "very...to..." : some physicists have been all very happy to fill the vacuum with beginner’s mistakes."

Do you agree with me?

Context:

The more experienced writers about intelligence, such as IQ researchers, steer clear of the C word. Many of my fellow neuroscientists avoid consciousness as well (some physicists, alas, have been all too happy to fill the vacuum with beginner’s mistakes). Some clinicians unintentionally trivialize consciousness by redefining it as mere arousability (though to talk of the brain stem as the seat of consciousness is to thereby confuse the light switch with the light!). Or we redefine consciousness as mere awareness, or the “searchlight” of selective attention.

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Type: Question • Score: 5 • Views: 1,214 • Replies: 10
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OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 02:14 am
@oristarA,
oristarA wrote:

The structure "too...to..." is typical to indicate an improbable situation
because of the preceeding condition, for example:

I'm too busy to help you right now.

It means I am too busy at this moment so that I am not able to help you right now.

But I come across an exception today:
[But I cAme across an exception today]
I suggest that u do not begin sentences with CONJUNCTIONS,
because u are not CONJOINING them with anything.

"some physicists, alas, have been all too happy to fill the vacuum with beginner’s mistakes“

In this case, the structure "too...to..." only means "very...to..." : some physicists have been all very happy to fill the vacuum with beginner’s mistakes."

Do you agree with me? [YES.]

oristarA
 
  1  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 05:27 am
@OmSigDAVID,
Your suggestion accepted.
Thank you David.
0 Replies
 
McTag
 
  2  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 11:57 am

Yes. It's a strange construction.

All too happy = very happy
All too clear = very clear

Look it up in a good grammar book. There are some subtleties of meaning you should be aware of.
0 Replies
 
contrex
 
  1  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 01:06 pm
OristarA wrote:
"some physicists, alas, have been all too happy to fill the vacuum with beginner’s mistakes“


Nobody, it seems to me, has conveyed the correct meaning of "all too (something)" or "only too (something). These phrases are used when we wish to imply that something is bad, undesirable or excessive. You use "all too" or "only too" to emphasize that something happens to a greater extent or degree than is pleasant or desirable.

If I leave the keys in my car, somebody (a thief) will be all (or only) too happy to drive it away.

If I leave my front door open, somebody will be all (or only) too happy to come in and steal all my property.

I worked very hard for a month, and my lazy boss was all too happy to take the credit.

The cliff edge is crumbling away and it would be all too easy to fall if one went too near.

All too often, parents leave their children at home alone.

Prostate cancer symptoms that are all too often ignored...

My meeting with Lady Gaga was all too brief.
0 Replies
 
ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 01:13 pm
@oristarA,
oristarA wrote:


In this case, the structure "too...to..." only means "very...to..." : some physicists have been all very happy to fill the vacuum with beginner’s mistakes."

Do you agree with me?



no.

In this case, the structure is "all to0 ... to ...".
0 Replies
 
JTT
 
  0  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 01:24 pm
@OmSigDAVID,
Quote:
I suggest that u do not begin sentences with CONJUNCTIONS,
because u are not CONJOINING them with anything.


A bit of nonsense that you can safely ignore, Ori. There's no such "rule" in English.

And in this case, you did the same thing that I've just done with my 'And'.
OmSigDAVID
 
  2  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 03:09 pm
@JTT,
David wrote:
I suggest that u do not begin sentences with CONJUNCTIONS,
because u are not CONJOINING them with anything.
JTT wrote:
A bit of nonsense that you can safely ignore, Ori. There's no such "rule" in English.

And in this case, you did the same thing that I've just done with my 'And'.
REGARDLESS: it is an illogical thing to DO.

The nature of CONJUNCTIONS is to CONJOIN.
JTT is not sufficiently clever to understand that.

The purpose of glue is to ATTACH things to each other, to conjoin them.





David
JTT
 
  0  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 05:06 pm
@OmSigDAVID,
Here you go again with your "logic", Om. It has served you not well at all. You are merely spouting another silly prescription that has nothing to do with the English language.

Additionally, you have failed to notice the connection 'but' and 'and' make.
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Mon 27 Jun, 2011 09:55 pm
@JTT,
JTT wrote:
Here you go again with your "logic", Om.
What do u mean: "AGAIN", J ??
I hope that I never interrupted my use of logic.
Be assured that I did not do so intentionally.





JTT wrote:
It has served you not well at all.
I know that assertion is historically false.
I cannot take it seriously; it reflects (negatively) upon u.




JTT wrote:
You are merely spouting another silly prescription that has nothing to do with the English language.
Adhering to competent reasoning is not mere.
A man's words REPRESENT him; thay shoud be well crafted to do that job well.




JTT wrote:
Additionally, you have failed to notice the connection 'but' and 'and' make.
That is because thay were used to BEGIN sentences.
If thay were attached to and part of another sentence,
thay might well have been OK.

If u begin a sentence
with a conjunction, then the result is a sentence fragment,
qua whose use there is no reason to capitalize the beginning, nor to add a period at its end.





David
JTT
 
  0  
Reply Wed 29 Jun, 2011 10:57 am
@OmSigDAVID,
Quote:
What do u mean: "AGAIN", J ??
I hope that I never interrupted my use of logic.
Be assured that I did not do so intentionally.


You have failed to address the everyone/their issue after repeated promises to do so. You do that because you know your logic is faulty.

You interrupt logic every time that you advance another spurious prescription.
0 Replies
 
 

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