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The whole sentence I came across is 'It may take even more than changes in the financial and cultural structures of employment for workers successfully to trade increased productivity and money for leisure time'

Fisrt, it's a relatively long sentence, could you please break it down into small units which will be helpful in my understanding.

Secondly, could you please paraphrase this sentence in more simple and straight words.

Thirdly, There are still some points that confused me. what did the author want to express with 'emplyment for workers', was it saying the workers who have jobs? and Which words or phrases is successfully here supposed to be with? Was it saying the changes are successful or the employment is successful?

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  • I think your example sentence is awkwardly verbose anyway, but what bugs me most about it is the infinitive marker to coming after adverbial successfully. Google Books for me to successfully complete:773 hits, for me successfully to complete:0 hits.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 3, 2019 at 16:17
  • Note that employment for workers isn't a meaningful element within the sentence. It's financial and cultural structures of employment which might do something for workers.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 3, 2019 at 16:19
  • Would you mind telling us where you found that? Thanks.
    – Lambie
    Commented Apr 3, 2019 at 16:21
  • 1
    It seems to have been taken from an IELTS exercise book: Cambridge Practice Test for I.E.L.T.S, Vanessa Jackman-Clare ... books.google.com.ar/books?id=AjhfDwAAQBAJ - Cambridge University Press - 1996 - ‎"It may take even more than changes in the financial and cultural structures of employment for workers successfully to trade increased productivity and money for leisure time, Schor contends. She says the U.S. market for goods has become..."
    – Gustavson
    Commented Apr 3, 2019 at 16:28
  • @Lambie Page 69: books.google.com.ar/…, to be more precise.
    – Gustavson
    Commented Apr 3, 2019 at 16:34

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The sentence would be much better with a split infinitive:

  • It may take even more than changes in the financial and cultural structures of employment for workers to successfully trade increased productivity and money for leisure time.

"the financial and cultural structures of employment" refers to the financial and cultural aspects of a job.

"for workers" is not related to "employment" but to what follows.

The idea is that some balance is being sought between increased productivity and profit, on the one hand, and leisure time, on the other. For this to be possible many changes, not only financial and cultural, seem to be required.

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  • Thank you for your answer. it make me seem to be clear about the meaning of this sentence on the whole except the word trade, is it saying trade off between productivity and money or trade them which are produced in their leisure time with anything else? I noticed you said they are finding a balance between increased productivity and profit, on the one hand, and leisure time, on the other, so is the leisure time also incorporated in this relationship with other elements or just saying productivity and money was made in their leisure time?
    – Young
    Commented Apr 4, 2019 at 1:09
  • "trade" there means "exchange" or "swap"
    – Gustavson
    Commented Apr 4, 2019 at 2:12

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