could "for" and "to" go togheter in a sentence?
for to...
becuase i thought it was impossible, but i was reading a
maugham (somerset) short story -the bum- and it appeared there
(for to)
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 4
1
Yes, but this would have to do with an archaic form of english. You would never here it in modern speech or writing. It basically means in order to or for the purpose of. One might have said in "olden" days, a man went out for to hunt.
Good luck with your studies,
Charles
1
I agree with Froopy, it's archaic useage, but they can be seen together in poetry and older writings. Perhaps also some high society people speak this way, but they'd be just about the only ones left.
1
From William Somerset Maugham's work "The Magician" (published in 1908) it says:
"The figure had not spoken, but it seemed to Eliphas Levi that the questions were answered in his own mind. For to each an inner voice replied with one grim word:
dead."
In this example "for to each an inner voice replied" means roughly "because a voice replied to each of the questions in his mind."
In this way, the word "for" means "because", which is archaic and not used in everyday speech. But it makes pretty poetry!
0
I answered this question once, but here is a better meaning. For to err is human, to forgive divine. Here, the word for serves as the word "because." Again, this is sort of an old way of using the word for. I can tell you that I know old men who still use it in the south of the United States.
Charles
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