reverse pseudo cleft

[yuriya]

He figured getting it back to you was the least he could do, seeing as you saved his life.

Cleft sentences give me headache! Shouldn't it be get it back to you rather than "getting it back to you" in the above sentence?

1. The least he could do was get it back to you.
2. The least he could do was to get it back to you.
3. The least he could do was getting it back to you.

1-1. Get it back to you was the least he could do.
2-1. To get it back to you was the least he could do.
3-1. Getting it back to you was the least he could do.

To my knowledge, sentence 1 and sentence 1-1 are grammatically correct. Sentence 2 and sentence 2-1 are also correct but a bit formal. Sentence 3 and sentence 3-1 are incorrect. Any comments on this?

[Rover_KE]

Yuriya,

I can only tell you what sounds idiomatic to me, as a native speaker.

The first sentence you quoted is correct.

Of your own sentences, only 1 and 3-1 sound natural.

Let's hope other native speakers will give their opinions.

Rover

[2006]

No, it shouldn't be ''get it back to you".
"getting it back to you" is the object of the verb "figured". The 'getting' phrase is a noun phrase, which is a suitable object for a verb.

"get it back to you" cannot follow "He figured".

I have to leave now. I will comment on your other sentences later.

[2006]

1. The least he could do was get it back to you.
2. The least he could do was to get it back to you.
3. The least he could do was getting it back to you.

1-1. Get it back to you was the least he could do.
2-1. To get it back to you was the least he could do.
3-1. Getting it back to you was the least he could do.

I had to think about this for a while.

2006