drop doing something

[ostap77]

Can I say "I dropped going to the gym" for "I gave up going to the gym"?

 

[5jj]

Can I say "I dropped going to the gym" for "I gave up going to the gym"?

If you wish.

 

[ostap77]

If you wish.

Does it take "to"? Can I say "drop+gerund" as "Can we drop this subject?"?

 

[5jj]

Sorry, Ostap. The to slipped into the wrong place. I have now corrected my mistake.

 

[Rover_KE]

Can I say "drop+gerund" as "Can we drop this subject?"

There's no gerund there.

 

[5jj]

There's no gerund there.

What is the underlined word then?

"I dropped going to the gym"

Incidentally, Ostap, 'stopped' or 'gave up' would be far more natural normally. If we use 'dropped' we probably have some idea of a weekly schedule in our minds, and we are dropping one of the listed activities, in my opinion.

 

[ostap77]

There's no gerund there.

Of course there isn't. I meant drop doing something without "to".

 

[ostap77]

Of course there isn't. I meant drop doing something without "to".

"Since I have a pain in my shoulder, I'm going to drop working out for a week." Is it OK to use "drop" in this context?

 

[5jj]

"Since I have a pain in my shoulder, I'm going to drop working out for a week." Is it OK to use "drop" in this context?

Not really. You normally drop only things that are in some way optional. Most of us have to go to work. We can be prevented from going, by illness, for example, but that is not really our free choice.

 

[Barb_D]

It would be a lot more natural to say STOP working out and not DROP working out.

 

[ostap77]

Not really. You normally drop only things that are in some way optional. Most of us have to go to work. We can be prevented from going, by illness, for example, but that is not really our free choice.

"Since I'm swamped with work at the moment and don't have a lot of free time, I'm going to drop working out for a week." Wouldn't it be optional now?

 

[5jj]

"Since I'm swamped with work at the moment and don't have a lot of free time, I'm going to drop working out for a week." Wouldn't it be optional now?

In my answer in post #9 I was writing about 'working' rather than the 'working out' in your question. Sorry.

However, as Barb has told us, "It would be a lot more natural to say STOP working out and not DROP working out".

I suspect, knowing you, Ostap, that you will come back with, "but is it possible to use drop here?" The answer is yes; but Barb's words are still true.