[Grammar] to

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shibli.aftab

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"That knowledge, researchers say, will help them learn more about premature labour, miscarriage, stillborn babies and why emergency caesarean births have risen by almost 50% in the last 30 years."

"That knowledge, researchers say, will help them "to" learn more about premature labour, miscarriage, stillborn babies and why emergency caesarean births have risen by almost 50% in the last 30 years."

Which sentence is more correct?

Is it not necessary to use "to" in the first sentence? Why?
 
shibli.aftab said:
"That knowledge, researchers say, will help them learn more about premature labour, miscarriage, stillborn babies and why emergency caesarean births have risen by almost 50% in the last 30 years."

"That knowledge, researchers say, will help them "to" learn more about premature labour, miscarriage, stillborn babies and why emergency caesarean births have risen by almost 50% in the last 30 years."

Which sentence is more correct?

Is it not necessary to use "to" in the first sentence? Why?
Click to expand...
"to" is optional with "help". I'd use it in a formal sentence like that one.
But, "Help me do my homework" = "Help me to do my homework." There's no difference in meaning and they're both correct.
 
:up:
shibli.aftab said:
"That knowledge, researchers say, will help them learn more about premature labour, miscarriage, stillborn babies and why emergency caesarean births have risen by almost 50% in the last 30 years."

"That knowledge, researchers say, will help them "to" learn more about premature labour, miscarriage, stillborn babies and why emergency caesarean births have risen by almost 50% in the last 30 years."

Which sentence is more correct?

Is it not necessary to use "to" in the first sentence? Why?
Click to expand...
Why? Because. ;-) [=Because that's the way it is.]

In a long sentence like that - regardless of formality - I'd include the 'to', just to make it easier to construe. But it's not compulsory.

b
 
When I was at school, many years before most members were born, HELP had to be followed by a to- infinitive. The bare infinitive was regarded as a barbarous Americanism. (Actually, in those days, to use 'barbarous' and 'Americanism' together would have been considered tautologous). However, the AmE form has snuck (!) into BrE and HELP is now one of those rare verbs that can be followed by either a bare or a to- infinitive with exactly the same meaning.
 
Help is a verb that can be used with or without to and with or without an object before the infinitive. When we use it without an infinitive it sometimes sounds more informal. Compare the following:

  • Could you help me to look for my car keys? I can't find them anywhere.

  • Could you help me look for my car keys? I can't find them anywhere.

  • Would you like to help to cook dinner tonight? It's late and I'm feeling tired.

  • Would you like to help cook dinner tonight? It's late and I'm feeling tired.
 
5jj said:
When I was at school, many years before most members were born, HELP had to be followed by a to- infinitive. The bare infinitive was regarded as a barbarous Americanism. (Actually, in those days, to use 'barbarous' and 'Americanism' together would have been considered tautologous). However, the AmE form has snuck (!) into BrE and HELP is now one of those rare verbs that can be followed by either a bare or a to- infinitive with exactly the same meaning.
Click to expand...

Are you sure it snuck? Maybe it dove in?
 
shibli.aftab said:
Help is a verb that can be used with or without to and with or without an object before the infinitive. When we use it without an infinitive it sometimes sounds more informal. Compare the following:

  • Could you help me to look for my car keys? I can't find them anywhere.

  • Could you help me look for my car keys? I can't find them anywhere.

  • Would you like to help to cook dinner tonight? It's late and I'm feeling tired.

  • Would you like to help cook dinner tonight? It's late and I'm feeling tired.
Click to expand...

This is clearly a quotation from a grammar book, shibli.aftab.

Please state the source of the quotation.

Rover
 
I'm a burnt, learnt and even earnt man. They are all good old BrE forms.
 
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