1

Is there a subtle difference between those sentences in meaning?

  1. A hero is a brave person who does things to help others.
  2. A hero is a brave person who does things that help others.
3
  • 1
    The first implies intent or purpose. The second indicates result. Dec 29, 2018 at 13:25
  • 1
    I'm not a native speaker so you may take my words with a grain of salt. "To help others" is normally understood as a purpose adjunct: it tells you why they help others. The that-clause in the second sentence is a relative clause modifying "things": what helps others is what a brave person does. Dec 29, 2018 at 13:29
  • 1
    The difference is that the infinitival clause is a purpose adjunct, cf. "... who does things in order to help others", while the that clause is a relative one modifying "things", where we understand that he does things; things help others.
    – BillJ
    Dec 29, 2018 at 15:54

1 Answer 1

1

Yes, there is a very subtle difference in meaning. In the first sentence, the emphasis is on helping others:

A hero is a brave person who does things to help others.

In the second sentence, the emphasis is on the actions (things) that are done by the hero:

A hero is a brave person who does things that help others.

You'd more likely use the first example for a hero who seeks out people who are in trouble and then does things to help them - imagine a hero who rescues people from captivity. The emphasis is on the people.

The second example would be for a hero who does things that are good, with the goal that some possibly unknown people might benefit from those actions - imagine a hero who kills an evil witch. The emphasis is on the heroic action.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .