Lucas
Could you help me, please? Hi, there Could you help me with a few questions? 1) Would you use infinitive, bare infinite or gerund in these sentences? "What can't be done is not pay/to pay/ paying their debt" / "What can't be done is them not pay/paying/ their debt" 2) What about these? "Rather than help/helping the people, he decided to stay above the fray" Thank you very much
Oct 30, 2017 5:32 PM
Answers · 6
2
"What can't be done is not paying their debt." / "What can't be done is them not paying their debt" The first sentence does not specify who will be paying their debt (not you I hope!); the second states that THEY are to pay their own debt, so it clarifies who is paying. "Rather than help/helping the people, he decided to stay above the fray." Either is acceptable; the continuous verb makes the sentence more active and personal. Using "help" sounds more formal to me, so I'd say it's really a matter of taste and the tone of the entire written piece. "It is some sort of a meeting" or "It is some sort of meeting"? Or "It is sort of a meeting"? Either of the first two sentences is fine; at least both are in common usage in the U.S.; however, the third sentence sounds like the meeting is not really a meeting; it's only "sort of" (meaning here -- not completely) a meeting. Hope this helps. :-)
October 30, 2017
Please
October 30, 2017
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