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Thread: take vs spend

  1. #1
    Effie Wang is offline Newbie
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    Default take vs spend

    hi there

    Is there any usage as the below?
    I heard that take should come along with "to " instead of "V-ing"


    " I take three hours finishing my report everyday."

    Thanks
    Last edited by Effie Wang; 20-Dec-2012 at 16:13.

  2. #2
    sergeyrais is offline Junior Member
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    Default Re: take vs spend

    Probably, "It took me
    three hours to finish my report"?
    Odessa Dawn likes this.

  3. #3
    Gillnetter is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: take vs spend

    Quote Originally Posted by Effie Wang View Post
    hi there

    Is there any usage as the below?
    I heard that take should come along with "to " instead of "V-ing"


    " I take three hours finishing my report."

    Thanks
    There is no problem using the language the way you did. I can, for example, say "I take all morning traveling to my favorite fishing spot". Do you mean something like "It used to take me all morning to travel to my favorite fishing spot"?
    Odessa Dawn and anhnha like this.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: take vs spend

    Yes, either:
    It took me three hours to finish the report yesterday.
    or
    I spent three hours finishing the report yesterday.

    An another note, I always have trouble with "to finish" as action of duration. Does that mean you had spend 60 hours on the report in the past weeks, but yesterday you took three hours to put the final things into place, thus finishing it? Or does it mean it took you three hours from start to finish? With the "to finish" I'm inclinded to think that latter, but "finishing" feels more like the former.
    anhnha likes this.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

  5. #5
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    Odessa Dawn is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: take vs spend



    Quote Originally Posted by Effie Wang View Post

    " I take three hours finishing my report everyday."

    Thanks
    Question: Don’t we need "Every day" – two words?

    anhnha likes this.

  6. #6
    SoothingDave is online now VIP Member
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    Default Re: take vs spend

    Quote Originally Posted by Odessa Dawn View Post




    Question: Don’t we need "Every day" – two words?

    Yes.
    Odessa Dawn, anhnha, 5jj and 1 others like this.

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