Search from various English teachers...
Akira
What’s the difference between these sentences below? 1:Don't keep the door closed to foreign enterprises for the sake of domestic industries. 2:Don't keep the door to foreign enterprises closed for the sake of domestic industries.
Dec 7, 2022 2:25 PM
Answers · 2
1
1--you are closing the door, taking away opportunities, so foreign enterprises cannot access a market in country X. 2--you are closing the door that leads to foreign enterprises, taking away opportunities for country X to access foreign enterprises. Even if you probably want the meaning of #1, if you say #2 people should interpret it as #1 because that is what makes logical sense. But grammatically, #2 says something different. For some more concrete examples: Keep the door closed to strangers = keep the door closed so that strangers do not enter Keep the door to strangers closed = this doesn't make sense. There would need to be a door that you use to go meet strangers. Keep the door to the bathroom closed = keep the door that leads to the bathroom closed = keep the bathroom door closed Keep the door closed to the bathroom = this doesn't make sense. The bathroom cannot come through the door. People go through the door.
December 7, 2022
1
Mean the same thing, but to me the first is better.
December 7, 2022
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!