This house needs painting / This house needs to be painted
Hi,

Are both phrases correct? In this case what is the difference between them?

Many thanks,

:)

Question

This house needs painting / This house needs to be painted
Hi,

Are both phrases correct? In this case what is the difference between them?

Many thanks,

:)

Answer

Both are OK but "this house needs painting" is more idiomatic/colloquial; you might not say that in a formal letter, for example. "This house needs to be painted" is more generally correct.

Answer

They both look fine to me.

I recall Grammar Girl did a post on the colloquial grammar pattern which gives us "This house needs painted". It's worth looking up.

Answer

Both phrases are correct. Just two ways of saying the same thing.

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