
Interested in Language
Would you say that all versions are possible and is there a rule when to use one or the other sentence structure?
The likelihood to get/of getting robbed in this city is low.
Martin's talent to take/of taking nice photos helped him get the job.
Tina is proud of her ability to draw/of drawing beautiful paintings.
It's interesting that after "talent" "for" and after "ability" "to" needs to be used although they are quite similar terms. Maybe one of the teachers can explain the rule.
Last edited by AirbusA321; 17-Feb-2017 at 19:22.
There are no rules that I know of.
What if I omitted "of her ability" in the last sentence?
Tina is proud to draw/of drawing beautiful paintings.
In this case, would both work?
Here is another example:
She is not afraid of getting/to get the disease due to the vaccines she got.
Are both correct and mean the same? I think this is an example where both versions can be used, am I correct?
Both versions are grammatically correct. They don't mean the same thing though. She is not afraid to get the disease due to the vaccines she got is illogical. It means that she is sufficiently brave to get the disease.
To be afraid to do something means to fear doing the thing named; it often doesn't work with get.
As a counterexample, the statements She is not afraid to ride horses or She is not afraid of riding horses mean the same thing.
Last edited by GoesStation; 20-Feb-2017 at 23:38. Reason: To remove a stray preposition.
I am not a teacher.
I've removed the stray preposition. Thanks for spotting it.
I am not a teacher.
Bookmarks