start (with)

[Casiopea]

What about?

EX: I need help with correcting the mistakes. <marginal>
EX: I need help correcting the mistakes.

[dihen]

So is "start with correcting the mistakes" unacceptable?

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

What about?

EX: I need help with correcting the mistakes. <marginal>
EX: I need help correcting the mistakes.

What do the sentences mean and what is the difference between their meanings?

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

What about?
EX: I need help with correcting the mistakes. <marginal>
EX: I need help correcting the mistakes.

Originally Posted by Lenka

What do the sentences mean and what is the difference between their meanings?

The way I hear it, the first is something you could do on your own, but you'd prefer some help. This doesn't really work with mistakes (hence the 'marginal'). But I think it works with:

I need help with delivering all these parcels.

and

I'll need help delivering all these parcels by midday.

But the more I think about it, angels dancing on a pinhead come to mind

b

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by BobK

The way I hear it, the first is something you could do on your own, but you'd prefer some help. This doesn't really work with mistakes (hence the 'marginal'). But I think it works with:

I need help with delivering all these parcels.

and

I'll need help delivering all these parcels by midday.

But the more I think about it, angels dancing on a pinhead come to mind

b

"angels dancing on a pinhead"? It sounds funny... What does it mean?

I'll need help delivering all these parcels by midday. <= Here, is the word "delivering" present participle?

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Lenka

"angels dancing on a pinhead"? It sounds funny... What does it mean?

It's a reference to over-complex theoretical speculation for the sake of it. Some reformer (no idea which) accused theologians of wasting their time arguing about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin; I don't know if they ever did, but I like the expression anyway.

Originally Posted by Lenka

I'll need help delivering all these parcels by midday. <= Here, is the word "delivering" present participle?

You could argue that the sentence quoted is an abbreviation of I'll need help [while I am] delivering all these parcels by midday. In that case, it's a participle.

I'd prefer to think of it as an abbreviation of I'll need help [with the process of] delivering all these parcels by midday. In that case, it's a gerund.

I don't believe it matters much which you believe; what matters is that you use the actual utterances competently.

b

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by BobK

It's a reference to over-complex theoretical speculation for the sake of it. Some reformer (no idea which) accused theologians of wasting their time arguing about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin; I don't know if they ever did, but I like the expression anyway.



You could argue that the sentence quoted is an abbreviation of I'll need help [while I am] delivering all these parcels by midday. In that case, it's a participle.

I'd prefer to think of it as an abbreviation of I'll need help [with the process of] delivering all these parcels by midday. In that case, it's a gerund.

I don't believe it matters much which you believe; what matters is that you use the actual utterances competently.

b

Mmmm... I don't think that I could say such sentences - I mean I can't use them actively - I just know it passively. Anyway, every word has to be remembered and remembered, repeated and repeated before you know it well and csn use it actively - maybe I'll learn to use it too, in some time.