Sep 17, 2008 17:23
16 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
English verb
English
Social Sciences
Linguistics
I pray that God heal me.
I pray that God heals me.
Which of the 2 sentences above is correct? Generally, should infinitives be used when saying a prayer?
Thanks
I pray that God heals me.
Which of the 2 sentences above is correct? Generally, should infinitives be used when saying a prayer?
Thanks
Responses
+6
1 hr
Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
&
English
United Kingdom
Translator since 1953
Native in: English
Works in: Russian to English, German to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
197
Selected
Both are possible, depends what sort of context
"I pray that God heal me" sounds correct but archaic to me - Biblical sort of language. I'm not a grammar expert but I think the form here is the subjunctive, which is rarely used in modern English.
But prayers may be put in archaic forms, some churches prefer to retain the language of the King James Bible as far as possible for all forms of worship.
But in a church which takes a more modernizing approach, or in a context not involving a church, within the family, say, "I pray that God heals me" is more likely to be used.
But prayers may be put in archaic forms, some churches prefer to retain the language of the King James Bible as far as possible for all forms of worship.
But in a church which takes a more modernizing approach, or in a context not involving a church, within the family, say, "I pray that God heals me" is more likely to be used.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Nesrin
: I think the subjunctive (if that's indeed what it is!) is common in expressions like: "The court ordered that he be required to pay..."
13 mins
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Thank you. Yes, this form is not uncommon in legal texts.
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| agree |
d_vachliot (X)
: Indeed. I think that the subjunctive is gramatically correct here, because it is the subjunctive that would be normally used to express a wish.
46 mins
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Thank you. Yes, I think so too, but we pedants have to live in a world n which hardly anyone obeys such rules.
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| agree |
JaneTranslates
: Yes. I'm a truly miserable being--a pedant who doesn't know the rules to cite and thus cannot explain things, even when I am sure. BTW, I don't see this as a phrase *in* a prayer but rather a statement *about* one's prayer. That makes a difference, too.
2 hrs
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Thank you. I'm one of those ignorant pedants too.
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| agree |
Tania McConaghy
2 hrs
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Thank you.
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| agree |
Trudy Peters
: Definitely the subjunctive.
7 hrs
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Thank you.
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| agree |
Christine Andersen
: You could choose as Jack suggests according to your type of church, or write ´I pray that God will heal me'. (New discusion: is that the future tense or God's will ...?) I would choose one of the above.
11 hrs
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Thank you. I don't see how "will" here could be the noun. If it were, it would have to be "God's will".
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you."
+6
8 mins
Holly Breckenridge
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Medical Translator, Editor, Proofreader
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US) 
Works in: German to English, English
heals
God is the subject and is singular, so the singular verb needs to be used.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jack Dunwell
10 mins
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| agree |
Patricia Townshend (X)
: I agree, though I would have prefered "I pray that God will heal me" or "I pray for God to heal me."
15 mins
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| agree |
Rachael Alexander
: I agree with Patricia - either "pray for" or use "will"
34 mins
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| agree |
NancyLynn
: with Patricia and Brannigan
3 hrs
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| agree |
Ioanna Daskalopoulou
: See also: http://www.4stepstogod.com/?gclid=CJfdw-nm45UCFRSO1Qod0khFfA
4 hrs
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| agree |
Gary D
: I pray for God's healing touch
5 hrs
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+3
7 mins
jccantrell
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Was nicht ist, kann noch werden.
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
31
2nd choice -- I pray that God heals me.
Sounds right to my ears.
Regarding infinitives, just how do you want to fit that in?
I pray to God to heal me? {sounds odd, but is understandable}
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Note added at 19 mins (2008-09-17 17:42:40 GMT)
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oh, I know that as a modal verb.
I can see using it like this:
I prayed that God would heal me.
This is OK, there are a lot of ways to say this. I would not say that modal should generally used in prayers. You can, but there are also other ways to formulate it.
Regarding infinitives, just how do you want to fit that in?
I pray to God to heal me? {sounds odd, but is understandable}
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Note added at 19 mins (2008-09-17 17:42:40 GMT)
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oh, I know that as a modal verb.
I can see using it like this:
I prayed that God would heal me.
This is OK, there are a lot of ways to say this. I would not say that modal should generally used in prayers. You can, but there are also other ways to formulate it.
Note from asker:
| I pray that God (should) heal me. This is what I mean with infinitives. |
| My school English rule goes: the modal verb can be omitted in this case. I can say for example: I pray that I be healed. But I notice no native speakers formulate their prayers according to this rule. |
Reference comments
1 hr
Reference:
Why use pray?
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Note added at 1 hr (2008-09-17 18:45:09 GMT)
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No, the grammar subject is the Subjunctive, not the Imperatives here :)
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Note added at 1 hr (2008-09-17 19:07:34 GMT)
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English language has plenty of examples in this sense:
God bless you.
God save us.
God forbid.
.....
These are all example sentences for the Subjunctive, and in none of them does the Speaker dare have an imperative tone before God. This is merely one way of praying God (expressing a holy wish) in language.
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Note added at 1 hr (2008-09-17 18:45:09 GMT)
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No, the grammar subject is the Subjunctive, not the Imperatives here :)
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Note added at 1 hr (2008-09-17 19:07:34 GMT)
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English language has plenty of examples in this sense:
God bless you.
God save us.
God forbid.
.....
These are all example sentences for the Subjunctive, and in none of them does the Speaker dare have an imperative tone before God. This is merely one way of praying God (expressing a holy wish) in language.
Example sentence:
God heal me.
It is not up to us to demand that God heal.
Reference:
Note from asker:
| "God heal me" sounds "imperative" to me. |
| If it should be true, that it is not up to us to demand that God heal, "imperative" is definatively the wrong grammar. |
| Many thanks! I have been on an American praying site, where I find no use of Subjectives. All prayers are written in simple grammar, which makes me feel very uncertain with my English. |
Discussion
My school English rule goes: the modal verb can be omitted in this case. I can say for example: I pray that I be healed, which comes from "I pray that I should be healed". However, I notice that nobody on a praying site is practicing this rule.