[Grammar] Just do whatever you think fit/Spend the money as you see fit.

[kadioguy]

see/think fit
to consider an action or decision to be correct for the situation

Just do whatever you think fit - I'm sure you'll make the right decision.
Spend the money as you see fit.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-traditional/fit?q=see%2Fthink+fit
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I think in the first sentence the structure in blue is think something fit, whereas in the second there is no object between see fit. Is my opinion correct?

 

[Raymott]

No, they mean the same - unless you can think of a real sentence as an example of "Just do whatever you think something fit." I can't.
It means "whatever you think [is] fit".

 

[kadioguy]

No, they mean the same - unless you can think of a real sentence as an example of "Just do whatever you think something fit." I can't.
It means "whatever you think [is] fit".

I meant something like this:

1. Just do the thing.
2. you think the thing fit.
→ Just do the thing which you think fit.
→Just do what you think fit.

So I said the structure is "think something fit". In the original first example sentence something is "merged" into whatever.

I meant to say there is an object between "think fit" in the original first example sentence, whereas not in "see fit" in the original second example sentence.

I would think we have the same opinion about this, but just need a clarification.

 

[tedmc]

I don't think there is any object involved when you say "think fit" or "see fit". It simply means you consider it is appropriate to take a certain action based on your personal judgement.

 

[kadioguy]

I don't think there is any object involved when you say "think fit" or "see fit".

Please look at this sentence:

Just do whatever you think fit.

If there isn't any object involved in "... whatever you think fit", how do you explain the element "whatever"?

I think "whatever" here means "anything that".

... whatever you think fit.
→ ... anything that you think fit.

"That" here is a relative pronoun. It is the object of the verb 'think'.

This is why I said the basic structure is "think something fit" in "... whatever you think fit".

 

[Raymott]

[from different posts]
1. This is why I said the basic structure is "think something fit" in "... whatever you think fit".

2. I would think we have the same opinion about this, but just need a clarification

1. Still, the only possible meaning for this is that you think "think something fit" is the meaning of "think fit". I asked you (implicitly, I'll admit) to supply a real example sentence with a real object substituted for 'something', and you haven't done it. If something is a basic structure, you should be able to instantiate it, i.e. give an instance of it with real words.

2. We do not have the same opinion. How could we when I've disagreed with almost everything you've said?
Fundamentally, you are saying that "see fit" and "think fit" are structurally different. I said in post #2 that they are the same.

There is a possible usage of "think something fit".
"Use Plan B if you think it fit. If you think Plan B fit, use it." This would be very unusual. But you could use "see fit" in the way. "Use Plan B if you see it fit." But I wouldn't like to argue that this is good English or that anyone would use it.

 

[kadioguy]

Fundamentally, you are saying that "see fit" and "think fit" are structurally different. I said in post #2 that they are the same.

No, I didn't say "see fit" and "think fit" are structurally different. I was just saying "... whatever you think fit" is different from "... as you see fit." (See post #1.)

Please look at these sentences:

(c) Just do whatever you think fit
(d) She let him do his job as he thought fit.

I mean, in (c) 'think' is a transitive verb because of "whatever", whereas in (d) it is not.

 

[kadioguy]

I asked you (implicitly, I'll admit) to supply a real example sentence with a real object substituted for 'something', and you haven't done it. If something is a basic structure, you should be able to instantiate it, i.e. give an instance of it with real words.

You can do anything that you think fit.

In this sentence, "that" is the object of the verb "think".

 

[YAMATO2201]

Is my opinion correct?

I'm guessing your observation is the following one:

Just do whatever you think fit
||
Just do anything that you think fit
(Here "that" is the direct object of "think".)

Spend the money as you see fit.
||
Spend the money in any way you see fit.
||
Spend the money in any way that you see fit.
(Here "that" is the direct object of "see".)

 

[kadioguy]

Just do whatever you think fit
||
Just do anything that you think fit
(Here "that" is the direct object of "think".)

Yes, this is exactly what I meant.

Spend the money as you see fit.
||
Spend the money in any way you see fit.
||
Spend the money in any way that you see fit.
(Here "that" is the direct object of "see".)

Sorry, but I think "see" here is an intransitive verb. I would say it is something like this:

Spend the money as you see fit.
||
Spend the money in any way you see fit.
||
Spend the money in any way in which you see fit.

 

[PaulMatthews]

see/think fit
to consider an action or decision to be correct for the situation

Just do whatever you think fit - I'm sure you'll make the right decision.
Spend the money as you see fit.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-traditional/fit?q=see%2Fthink+fit
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I think in the first sentence the structure in blue is think something fit, whereas in the second there is no object between see fit. Is my opinion correct?

Just do whatever you think fit - I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

This is called a 'fused' relative construction, where the underlined element is a noun phrase functioning as object of "do". "Whatever" functions simultaneously as head of the whole noun phrase and effectively object of "think" in the relative clause. It can be paraphrased as "anything you think fit".

 

[Raymott]

No, I didn't say "see fit" and "think fit" are structurally different. I was just saying "... whatever you think fit" is different from "... as you see fit." (See post #1.)

"Just do whatever you think fit - I'm sure you'll make the right decision.
Spend the money as you see fit."

It's best just to change one parameter at a time if you want to be understood. For example, now you seem to claiming that the difference you are interested in is that between "Do whatever you see/think fit" and "Spend the money as you see/think fit" - nothing at all to do with any difference between "see" and "think" Was this your point?

 

[kadioguy]

"Just do whatever you think fit - I'm sure you'll make the right decision.
Spend the money as you see fit."

It's best just to change one parameter at a time if you want to be understood. For example, now you seem to claiming that the difference you are interested in is that between "Do whatever you see/think fit" and "Spend the money as you see/think fit" - nothing at all to do with any difference between "see" and "think" Was this your point?

Yes. I hope next time we will have a better communication.

 

[Raymott]

Yes. I hope next time we will have a better communication.

Sure, we will if you make the sentences different in only the aspect you are interested in.

 

[jutfrank]

This is how I would explain it from a semantic perspective:

1) Normally, fit = appropriate

2) But here, whatever you think fit = whatever you think is appropriate

3) So with this usage, fit = is appropriate

4) Now reduce the phrase to whatever is appropriate

You can see that whatever is a subject in the thought, not an object, and is appropriate is a predicate. Therefore, fit is essentially being used as a predicate and whatever is its subject.