X = "do-something" in what I've added. Note that NOT do-something should not (necessarily) be construed as gold-bricking, as in the example of X = "smoke cigarettes" where the NOT do-something is a worthy accomplishment.
The first reads to me as: Expressing a frequent ability to NOT do-something. This to me implies that "NOT do-something" is the speaker's preferred way of handling this situation and it is a positive type of statement.
The other two, to me, read similar to each other, but rather differently than the first. These two are negative-type statements, expressing either rare ability or frequent inability.
The second: Expressing an infrequent ability to do-something.
The third: Expressing a frequent inability to do-something.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2008-08-07 08:27 pm (UTC)The first reads to me as: Expressing a frequent ability to NOT do-something. This to me implies that "NOT do-something" is the speaker's preferred way of handling this situation and it is a positive type of statement.
The other two, to me, read similar to each other, but rather differently than the first. These two are negative-type statements, expressing either rare ability or frequent inability.
The second: Expressing an infrequent ability to do-something.
The third: Expressing a frequent inability to do-something.