"You are too good to be gifted."
Is this a grammatically correct way to respond to someone who is asking for a gift?
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1What is it supposed to mean?– Michael HarveyCommented Jul 8, 2019 at 20:34
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Yes, please elaborate, and explain what it means for someone to be "too good" to be given a gift.– J.R. ♦Commented Jul 8, 2019 at 21:15
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1People who are good are generally those who do get gifts. It's people who are bad who don't . . . (So, semantically, it's an odd response. Although, people don't normally ask for gifts either.)– Jason BassfordCommented Jul 8, 2019 at 22:45
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1 Answer
Grammatical, sure. But as written, that sentence could be misinterpreted as:
You are too good to be talented
(because gifted, as an adjective, means "talented").
It could also mean:
You are too good to be given away as a gift.
Instead you should say:
You are too good to be gifted something
or
You are too good to be given a gift
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1I'm not a big fan of "You are too good to be gifted something." At best, that's an unusual construct. Why not something more like: You are too good to be given a gift. That seems to be what the OP is saying.– J.R. ♦Commented Jul 8, 2019 at 21:11
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You are too good to be gifted with something is the more idiomatic (although uncommon) use of the verb. Also, the original sentence could also be be interpreted as somebody being too good to be given to somebody else as a gift. Commented Jul 8, 2019 at 21:36
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2This is a nice answer but premature since we aren't certain what OP is trying to say.– AndrewCommented Jul 8, 2019 at 21:42
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@Andrew - Agreed, but I'm hoping the question doesn't get closed. (Closed migrated questions go back to where they came from, and I think this question fits better here than ELU).– J.R. ♦Commented Jul 8, 2019 at 21:57