Jack之杰
He didn't drink tea, did he? Hi, everybody. My question is from the sentence below: "Catherine was too excited, and Mr.Edgar too angry to drink any tea."(Catherine was in love with Edgar) I don't understand this sentence, what does it mean? If Mr.Edgar drank the tea? Thank you!
Oct 19, 2019 1:07 PM
Answers · 10
3
This is the full form of the sentence: Catherine was too excited to drink any tea and Mr Edgar was too angry to drink any tea. (18 words - long, dull and repetitive) This is the original sentence: Catherine was too excited, and Mr.Edgar too angry to drink any tea. (13 words - much neater, more elegant and more interesting to read). The verb 'was' and the phrase 'to drink any tea' refers to both people, so there is no need to repeat them. At 107,945 words, Wuthering Heights is long enough, so Ms Bronte saved words where she could :)
October 19, 2019
1
Neither one drank tea. Both of them were unable to drink tea.
October 19, 2019
1
He was too angry to drink tea. [= He didn't drink tea.]
October 19, 2019
Thank you @Sharon
October 21, 2019
The writer is combining two sentences into one. It might be clearer to you if there were another comma after 'Mr. Edgar'. The writer could have written: "Catherine was too excited to drink any tea, and Mr. Edgar was too angry to drink any tea." The way the writer has phrased the sentence makes it seem more immediate and describes the emotion of the situation.
October 19, 2019
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