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JOSEPH
the usage of 'devote to'
A. He devoted his entire life to the wiritng of Science and Civilization in China.
B. He devoted his entire life to writing Science and Civilization in China.
Which expression is better? I think it's B, because I've read many examples of 'devote to +verb.ing'. Or, are they both correct expressions?
Thank you!by the way, 'Science and Civilization of China' is a book.
Jun 25, 2009 4:05 AM
Answers · 2
Hello Joseph,
In your example A is better, because of the usage of " Science and Civilization" ,if it were "books" for example it would be adequate to use both:
" He devoted his entire life to writing books" or " to the writing of books".
Alright then. In this case:
B is correct ,however it is better to hint to the fact that "Science and Civilization" is a book; like putting it in brackets or referring to it as " his book"
- He devoted his entire life to writing his book "Science and Civilization in China".
- He devoted his entire life to writing "Science and Civilization in China".
I think Jura also didn't know that it is a title of a book ,that is why she used "about".
June 26, 2009
B. He devoted his entire life to writing about Science and Civilization in China.
June 25, 2009
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JOSEPH
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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