Could you plz tell me why the author use the 'not' here? Thx a lot.
Here is the paragraph:
There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.

Why the author said that 'I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes' ?

I suppose it should be like: I took you to task for cleaning your shoes. Why did he use the 'not'?

Thanks a lot.

Question

Could you plz tell me why the author use the 'not' here? Thx a lot.
Here is the paragraph:
There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.

Why the author said that 'I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes' ?

I suppose it should be like: I took you to task for cleaning your shoes. Why did he use the 'not'?

Thanks a lot.

Answer

I think this may be a misunderstanding of what "took you to task" means.  It means that the parent was upset with the son and scolded him.  So, with this understanding it makes sense that the parent "took him to task" for NOT cleaning his shoes.   He should have cleaned his shoes, but he did not.

Answer

I took you to task for cleaning your shoes would mean he was in trouble because he had cleaned his shoes.

But, the father was angry because the son had not cleaned his shoes.

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