[Grammar] “I found it very irritating

[shibli.aftab]

“I found it very irritating. It is almost like they are saying, ‘Yes, now that you’ve won, let’s talk about the serious thing.’ But, it helped me motivate myself more. I wanted to retain my title. I was sick of giving it up after a year.”

I guess above sentence should be as

“I found it very irritating. It is almost like they are saying, ‘Yes, now that you’ve won, let’s talk about the serious thing.’ But, it helped me to motivate myself more. I wanted to retain my title. I was sick of giving it up after a year.”

Seeking your opinion.

 

[probus]

The to is correct but purely optional. Its absence is equally correct.

 

[shibli.aftab]

Why is it so?

 

[Rover_KE]

Verbs of perception — hear, see, watch — and a handful of other verbs — need, help, let, and make — will take what is called the bare infinitive, an infinitive without the particle "to."

(Casiopea, 18 Nov 2004)

 

[MikeNewYork]

Why is it so?

I am not sure if there is a good answer to "why". "Help" and some other verbs can take a "bare" (no "to") infinitive.

See more here: The Infinitive

 

[probus]

Why is it so?

Good question. Honestly, I don't know.

 

[5jj]

When I was at school over half a century ago, we had to use a to- infinitive after HELP. Dropping the to was regarded as a barbarous American usage. I think that insular pedantry was outdated even then. HELP is one of the rare verbs that can be be followed in BrE today by a bare infinitive or a to- infinitive,

 

[shibli.aftab]

I went through a sentence like above written below,
" Luckily Arun went to a different school, a play school that was closer home and his timings too were different. So for the whole day at school I was free of Arun."

I think it should be,
" Luckily Arun went to a different school, a play school that was closer to home and his timings too were different. So for the whole day at school I was free of Arun."

Any correction?

 

[MikeNewYork]

I went through a sentence like above written below,
" Luckily Arun went to a different school, a play school that was closer home and his timings too were different. So for the whole day at school I was free of Arun."

I think it should be,
" Luckily Arun went to a different school, a play school that was closer to home and his timings too were different. So for the whole day at school I was free of Arun."

Any correction?

You are correct that the "to" is needed there. This is not an infinitive "to", it is a preposition. I would change "timings too were" to "schedule was also".

 

[5jj]

Compare:

His new play school is near home. It is nearer home than his old one.
His new play school is close to home. It is closer to home than his old one.