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In Longman Dictionary (19) is the following sentence example:

We'd known each other too long for hard feelings.

The sentence doesn't sound natural to me. It sounds incomplete at the end. There should be at the end of the sentence the to-infinitive "to exist". Am I correct? Are my sentences below that follow this pattern wrong?

  1. We'd known each other too long for hard feelings to exist.
  2. I have known him very well for misunderstandings to occur.
  3. The society is very stable and united for a chaos/breakdown to ensue.
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  • The pattern is "too X for Y to happen". very <> too. X is so great that Y is not possible. "very" = "greatly". "very" <> "so greatly".
    – TimR
    Commented Jan 26, 2016 at 12:34
  • You could say "I have known him too long for such a misunderstanding to happen", but you cannot say "I have known him too well...". This is an interesting question. Please ask it separately.
    – TimR
    Commented Jan 26, 2016 at 12:40
  • well is a fascinating word. Well up! well-done! Well! Well!
    – TimR
    Commented Jan 26, 2016 at 12:44

1 Answer 1

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How about to have?

We'd known each other too long to have hard feelings.

Regarding the others, the patterns seem OK but some wording changes are needed:

We'd known each other too long for hard feelings to exist. (OK)

I know him too well for misunderstandings to occur.

Society is very stable and united to allow a chaos/breakdown to ensue.

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  • I agree with your evaluation, but I wouldn't say it is technically wrong.
    – user3169
    Commented Jan 26, 2016 at 5:14
  • Please check my edits.
    – user3169
    Commented Jan 26, 2016 at 5:26
  • Could you please tell me why you thought it was correct to remove the present perfect in the second sentence and to remove the article in the third sentence and with the structure of "For something to-infinitive?
    – Ghaith Alrestom
    Commented Jan 26, 2016 at 5:29
  • They are different topics and should be separate questions. #2 we just know people; there is no reason for perfect tense. In #3 "society" is a mass noun.
    – user3169
    Commented Jan 26, 2016 at 5:35

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