Hi, may I know why sentence No.2 is the correct answer?
1) ...it was related to he commented that - (can't use past tense + past tense?
2).... it was related to he commenting that - (past tense + gerund?)
Thanks alot!
***** A NON-TEACHER's COMMENT *****
(1) Until a teacher gives us the answer, may I start this
thread?
(2) I most respectfully submit that No. 2 is not correct,
either.
(a) I believe it should be:
It was related to him/his commenting on the problem.
(a) I believe that "he" is not correct.
(b) Your sentence is basically:
It was related to commenting on the problem.
You wish to identify the person who commented on the problem.
So you may say "him" or "his." Probably most people would
consider "his" the better choice.
Whose commenting was it? It was
his commenting.
(c) As you know, "to" is a preposition. After a preposition, you
need a noun or gerund (-ing word used as a noun):
It is related to the commentary (noun).
It is related to the commenting (gerund).
It is not "good" English to say: "It is related to he comment
ed."
(the past tense of "comment.")
For example:
His problem is related to weight problems. (noun)
His problem is related to him/his eating too much. (gerund)
BAD: His problem is related to he ate too much. (BUT: you
could say "His problem is related to the fact that he ate too much."
But you notice that in this sentence, there is a noun -- "fact" --
after the preposition "to.")
(3) I think that the basic idea is this:
After a preposition, you need a noun or gerund. In No. 1, you do
not have a noun or gerund; you have a past tense of a verb. (Regarding
the "he" in No. 2, I guess that is a minor point. It is probably better to
use either "him" or "his." If someone says or writes "he," that person
may think that s/he is speaking elegant English. It appears most books
would call "he" in that sentence "wrong" -- as far as modern English is
concerned.
Respectfully yours,
James