The omission of 'to' in to-infitive.

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wotcha

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We teach Korean students that there are three cases of omitting to in to-infinitives such as;

1. All I did was [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] study English.

2. What I did was [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] wait for her.

3. The only thins I did was [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] eat and sleep all day.


My first question is "Is 'to' omitted in present sentences?" like;

4. All I do is study English.

5. What I do is wait for her.

6. The only thins I do is eat and sleep all day.


Secondly, is 'to' omitted in cases of 'no-did-sentence'? I mean;

7. All I want is see you.

8. What I need is make money.

9. The only thing I miss about NZ is hang around with my friends.


Are 7,8 and 9 grammatical, too?
 
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nelson13

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We teach Korean students that there are three cases of omitting to in to-infinitives such as;

1. All I did was [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] study English.

2. What I did was [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] wait for her.

3. The only thins I did was [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] eat and sleep all day.


My first question is "Is 'to' omitted in present sentences like;

4. All I do is study English.

5. What I do is wait for her.

6. The only thins I do is eat and sleep all day.


Secondly, is 'to' omitted in cases of 'no-did-sentence'? I mean;

7. All I want is see you.

8. What I need is make money.

9. The only thing I miss about NZ is hang around with my friends.


Are 7,8 and 9 grammatical, too?
You will not expect a non-native speaker to answer your question. But I still want to try. Anyone is welcome to comment on my answer.

In reply to your question, the answer is NO. Not grammatical.

If you view sentences 1-6, you will find they are all DO-sentences or sentences containing an inflection of DO;and DO in this case has a special usage that can leave out TO. But no other verbs.
 

Tdol

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I would use to in 7 & 8 and the gerund in 9.
 

5jj

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emsr2d2

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With #3 and #6 you need to use "things" and "are/were". I would also change the word order:

3. The only things I did all day were eat and sleep.
6. The only things I do all day are eat and sleep.
 
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