......replace the time now spend / spent on mindless device use.

[Chun Hsu]

The original is grammatically correct. Whoever tried to paraphrase it in order to put it in the exam made a mistake and put "spend" instead of "spent". They also completely changed the meaning of the sentence.

Why is the usage of dedicate in the original article correct? Shouldn't it be dedicated? According to the dictionary, as a transitive verb, dedicate should be used first with the object, not the preposition to. I don't quite understand this place.

 

[Chun Hsu]

It's from a book entitled "Digital Minimalism," which is written by a tech-savvy intellectual named Cal Newport, Hsu. And the original one is "To replace the time most now dedicate to mindless device use."

But dedicate is a transitive verb，and should not be followed directly by preposition TO in the original text. I think it's grammatically correct to use dedicated.

 

[5jj]

And the original one is "To replace the time most now dedicate to mindless device use."

The object of the transitive verb 'dedicate' is 'the time'. The subject is 'most'.

 

[jutfrank]

... to replace the time (that) most (people) now dedicate to mindless device use

 

[Chun Hsu]

The object of the transitive verb 'dedicate' is 'the time'. The subject is 'most'.

I understand now. Thank you for your guidance.

 

[Chun Hsu]

... to replace the time (that) most (people) now dedicate to mindless device use

I understand now. Thank you for your help.

 

[Tarheel]

@Chun Hsu You don't have to post something new every time to say "Thanks". You can use the "like" button.