News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Commit messages guide. Parent comment

Re:Commit messages guide by fphilipe on Saturday April 20, 2019 @05:50AM (#19705642)
> What do you think "to kill you" is?

Infinitive. The predicate is "need" in this case. Swapping the order might make it clearer:

    You need to be exposed to a lethal dose all at once for cyanide to kill you.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Commit messages guide by thaumasiotes on Saturday April 20, 2019 @02:01PM (#19707900)
"For cyanide to kill you" is constructed from the sentence "cyanide kills you", and obeys exactly the same rules. It predicates an action (killing) of a particular agent (cyanide), though it is not bound to any particular time. If "kills you" is a "predicate" in the finite clause, then "to kill you" is also a predicate in the nonfinite clause. Can you make the argument that it isn't without special pleading?
[ Parent | on HN ]