Up to now I still get confused about this grammar. I don't know and also want to know the terminology for this kind of grammar.
Consider the following sentences:
- This is a video that is interesting to be watched by every student.
- This is a video that is interesting to watch for every student.
Are both sentences grammatically correct? If they have different meaning, what is the difference in meaning?
Bonus Question
Let's just consider, for example, the first sentence above. How can I make the subordinate clause an adjective modifying the book? Is it correct to say as follows?
This is an interesting-to-be-watched video.
Best Answer
The construction interesting to VERB implies that the person who is interested is the subject of VERB.
If I say "This video is interesting to watch", with no further qualification, I mean that when I watch the video I am interested.
If I say "This video is interesting for students to watch", I mean that when students watch the video they are interested.
Now: It is possible for VERB to be cast in the passive. For instance, if I enjoy being the center of attention I may say
meaning that when I am watched I am interested. And if I teach an entire class of self-centered students (which is not unlikely), I may say
meaning that when the students are watched they are interested.
But you cannot say This video is interesting to be watched, because that implies that when the video is watched the video is interested, which is nonsense—a video is inanimate, it has no feelings, it cannot be interested.
As to your final question: obviously you cannot speak of an interesting-to-be-watched video, or anything else. You might speak of an interested-to-be-watched student; that would be grammatically meaningful, but not at all idiomatic.
English really really dislikes putting adjectives in the 'attributive' position (before the noun) when they have following complements: it makes it difficult to parse the relationship between the adjective and its head, the noun it modifies. (That's why that sort of construction has to be hyphenated.) There are a few phrases which tolerate this sort of construction (easy-to-read, ready-to-wear, and the like), but I advise you to avoid it until you have a lot more experience with the language.