[Grammar] I believe this sentence is poor grammar, but I need professional support.

[lizzznyc]

I am working on a website for a new client who is very proud of her grammar skills, and does not take criticism well, but I think this is a bad sentence...

"Creating memorable celebrations can take up to three hundred hours to plan!"

My feeling is that either "Creating" or "to plan" need to be omitted, but I would like some professional input on this. Maybe I am wrong.

Thank you for any help.

 

[emsr2d2]

I am working on a website for a new client who is very proud of her grammar skills, and does not take criticism well, but I think this is a bad sentence...

"Creating memorable celebrations can take up to three hundred hours to plan!"

My feeling is that either "Creating" or "to plan" need to be omitted, but I would like some professional input on this. Maybe I am wrong.

Thank you for any help.

I would tend to agree with you. You don't "plan a creation" - well, you can, but I don't think it works here. I would be more inclined to remove "to plan" than "creating".

I suppose it's possible that planning a memorable celebration might take one hundred hours, but then actually creating it might take three hundred hours!

Perhaps "The creation of a memorable celebration/event can take up to three hundred hours of planning"? I realise that that still includes "create" and "plan" but I think it sounds a little better.

The basic problem here is that the planning of a celebration and the actual creation of it are two different things.

 

[Rover_KE]

An interesting question, Liz.

In principle, I agree with you, but the original sentence is well enough expressed to be acceptable.

I wouldn't risk upsetting a client over it.

Try quietly leaving out 'creating' and seeing if she notices the omission. If she insists on reinstating it - live with it.

Rover

 

[Raymott]

I think I'd let the client be right in this case, even if she's not. There aren't many people who'd see a problem here; and if your client wrote it, she can't blame for you for any crticism by grammarians who visit the site.