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[Anonymous]

Please advise a better choice from each of the following sets and the reasons:

A. 1. I told you many times, it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.
2. I told you many times that it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.


B. The idiom "The fish will soon be caught that nibbles at every bite."
1. If you continue to take chances doing dangerous things, one of these days you won't be so lucky."
2. If you continue to take chances by doing dangerous things, one of these days you won't be so lucky.

Thanks a lot.

BMO

[bmo]

Please advise a better choice from each of the following sets and the reasons:

A. 1. I told you many times, it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.
2. I told you many times that it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.


B. The idiom "The fish will soon be caught that nibbles at every bite."
1. If you continue to take chances doing dangerous things, one of these days you won't be so lucky."
2. If you continue to take chances by doing dangerous things, one of these days you won't be so lucky.

Thanks a lot.

BMO

Forgot to log in first. Thanks. bmo

[RonBee]

A. 1. I told you many times, it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.
2. I told you many times that it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.

That would work better as past perfect, thus:

• As I have told you many times, it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.

Or:

• I have told you many times that it is a bad idea to grow marijuana in your own backyard.

B. The idiom "The fish will soon be caught that nibbles at every bite."

That's a good one. :)

1. If you continue to take chances doing dangerous things, one of these days you won't be so lucky."
2. If you continue to take chances by doing dangerous things, one of these days you won't be so lucky.

Both of those look fine to me.

:)

[Tdol]

You could replace 'continue' with 'keep taking', which sounds more natural to my ears.

[bmo]

Thanks to RonBee and tdol. Much better now after corrections.

BMO

[RonBee]

You're quite welcome.

:D

[Tdol]

Definitely.

[bmo]

You could replace 'continue' with 'keep taking', which sounds more natural to my ears.

Please consider the following:

"If you continue to take chances" vs "If you keep taking chances" (Keep taking is preferred)

"It is a bad idea to grow marijuana" vs "It is a bad idea growing marijuana" (To grow is preferred)

How do we know when best to use the "to verb" or the gerund?

Thanks.

BMO

[RonBee]

You could replace 'continue' with 'keep taking', which sounds more natural to my ears.

Please consider the following:

"If you continue to take chances" vs "If you keep taking chances" (Keep taking is preferred)

"It is a bad idea to grow marijuana" vs "It is a bad idea growing marijuana" (To grow is preferred)

How do we know when best to use the "to verb" or the gerund?

I wouldn't use the "growing" phrase as it is in that sentence. However, you could say:

• Growing marijuana is a bad idea.

:)