Do I just read too much High Fantasy?

[elfs]

In an article on the front page of the New York Times, a reporter included a quote from a French nobleman that he and his peers "must carry the values of nobility, set an example, and prove [to be] irreproachable."

What's with the "[to be]" inserted in there? Did the editor feel that the readers of the Times wouldn't know what "to prove irreproachable" meant? The meaning of "prove" here is synonymous with "exemplify"; is that use so archaic that people need translation?

Comments

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

rhythm? empahsis? sorry, but to me it does improve the sentence.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Maybe so, but I don't see the point in changing the original quote. We don't correct the grammar of other speakers.

[amindofiron.livejournal.com]

I suspect that it might be the editor trying to "write the the lowest common denominator" to ensure that none of the possible readers miss the point.

[tagryn]

If its a translation from French, there's likely some latitude in how the original is interpreted as it moves into English, which would explain the brackets to try and cover the possibilities.