In Moderation

[wide_left]

Would deleting the gerund "consuming" from:

"Consuming alcohol in moderation is safe."

lead to ungrammaticality?

 

[rou]

Without "consuming", the reader is left to form his/her own idea of what the alcohol is used for - many would think of "drinking", "consuming", but some may think of "using the alcohol for fuel or for cleaning". So, I'd think "leave it out only if the context makes what was left out clear".

 

[Tdol]

It would be grammatical. Also, as most people would associate it with drinking, the risk of being misunderstood is not very high.