Why have you come to England?

[Hucky]

Hi everybody,

Here is my reason (it´s just a pretext, well, I`d need it badly):

1) I´ve come to England to study English.

2) I`ve come to England for studying English.

Instead of the infinitive (of purpose) construction (1) , would the prepositional gerund (2) work here too?

Hucky

[luschen]

I am not a teacher, but only example number 1 is correct.

You could also say "I have come to England for the study of English" - is is grammatically correct, but it sounds a little off.

[Tdol]

Hi everybody,

Here is my reason (it´s just a pretext, well, I`d need it badly):

1) I´ve come to England to study English.

2) I`ve come to England for studying English.

Instead of the infinitive (of purpose) construction (1) , would the prepositional gerund (2) work here too?

Hucky

Not for me.

[JTRiff]

not teacher

1) I´ve come to England to study the English language.

2) I`ve come to England for the purpose of studying the English language.

[Rover_KE]

The best answer is the first one:

I´ve come to England to study English.

Rover

[Hucky]

Dear luschen, Tdol, JTRiff, and Rover KE,

I know it´s a bit on the late side to thank you, I´m sorry, I didn`t have the time to do so earlier. However, you helped me quite a lot! You cannot imagine how difficult it is for a non-native speaker to decide which construction is correct or preferable in a certain context. So why are there constructiones like these:
1) ... a sentence that you use for helping you to remember something.
2) a building with glass sides ... for growing plants.

In the two examples the infinitive would also work, e.g.:
1) ... to help you ...
2) ... to grow plants.

In my initial example the infinitive is alright, but the gerund is not. My instinct gave me an inkling that it does not sound good. But I remembered examples like the ones above and asked myself why it does work there. Could it be that the gerund construction in the example in question in preceded by a clause: "I have come to England..." But that can´t be the reason either as I found an example that goes: "She established a rule for understanding how it works." Whatever the reason is, best thanks again!

Hucky

[Soup]

So why are there constructiones like these:...

The pattern I see is this: the for-phrase modifies a noun in sentences 1), 2), and 3), but in 4) (your original sentence 2) it modifies a clause (I came):


1) a sentence used for the purpose of helping you to remember something.

• Reduced: a sentence used for helping
• Infinitive: a sentence used to help

2) a building with glass sides used for the purpose of growing plants.

• Reduced: a building used for growing plants
• Infinitive: a building used to grow plants

3) She established a rule used for the purpose of understanding how it works.

• Reduced: a rule used for understanding
• Infintive: a rule used to understand

--------------------

In 4), the for-phrase modifies a clause, I came:


4) I came for the purpose of studying.

• Reduced: I came for studying
• Infinitive: I came (in order) to study

[Hucky]

Dear Soup,

That´s the answer to the question! That´s also what I assumed to be the case, what I derived from the constructions given. It simply puzzled me that in the structure: established a rule for understanding we also have a preceding clause. The crucial criterion seems to be, however, that it ends in a noun. Now I´ve got it. Thanks a lot!

Hucky

[Karima-19]

Dear Soup,

That´s the answer to the question! That´s also what I assumed to be the case, what I derived from the constructions given. It simply puzzled me that in the structure: established a rule for understanding we also have a preceding clause. The crucial criterion seems to be, however, that it ends in a noun. Now I´ve got it. Thanks a lot!

Hucky

Hello Hucky! I do really appreciate your situation as a non-native speaker. Me too, I'm a non native speaker and it happens for me so many times. But once, someone advise me to use a simple, correct and comprehensible English in order to avoid gramatical mistakes. So, you gave us two sentences, and all of us agree that the first one which is correct. So, use the one you find easy and correct, I promise your English gonna be good and the most important thing is to have a pure English.

Good luck

Karima

[Rover_KE]

I promise your English gonna be good and the most important thing is to have a pure English.

Anybody recommending pure English is well-advised to avoid the slang term gonna.

Rover