Monday, July 17, 2017

I'm easy to get cold

(Grammar Questions I Couldn't Answer)

For whatever reason, I often hear students in Vietnam and Cambodia misuse "easy to".  (I don't remember hearing this so much in Japan.  But that could just be because my memory is fading.)

I correct the mistake when I hear it, but I sometimes struggle to give my students a reason or explanation.

For example, the other night my Vietnamese girlfriend said, "I'm easy to get cold."

"No, no, you mean 'I get cold easily' " I corrected.  "Because..."  (and then I couldn't think of the reason.)

And sometimes, "I'm easy to" is perfectly appropriate, as in "Once you get to know me, you'll find I'm easy to talk to."

I thought about it for a while, and I think I've found the reason.

"I'm easy to..." is used when we are describing ourselves as easy for other people.  So "I'm easy to talk to.." means it's easy for other people to talk to me.
But since "I'm easy to get cold" doesn't involve us being easy for other people, the appropriate form would be "I get cold easily".

Anyone have any other thoughts or second guesses?



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