"was get..."

[cyrusevilming]

I can't figure it out that why it is acceptable for two verbs in bold are existing in the same sentence. Please advise if it is grammatically correct. If not, should it be changed to "was getting" or any other form for amendment. Thanks!

"The first thing he did in the morning, during all the time I knew him, was get the newspaper and read it and that's exactly what he would have done at a time when he was so much in the news himself"....Quoted from BBC New

 

[MikeNewYork]

The verbs are correct. "Was get" is a shortening of "was to get". Read the sentence as "The first thing he did in the morning...was (to) get the newspaper...".

 

[tedmc]

'Was to get' or 'was getting' are both correct.

not a teacher

 

[MikeNewYork]

"Was getting" does not work there.

 

[tedmc]

Why not?

 

[MikeNewYork]

What are you going to do when you get to the word "read"? It leaves you with "was getting the newspaper and read it".

 

[cyrusevilming]

So, is it possible to change it into "was getting the newspaper and reading it"?

 

[tedmc]

What are you going to do when you get to the word "read"? It leaves you with "was getting the newspaper and read it".

It is understood that the rest of the verb(s) would have to follow whichever form is adopted, the infinitive or the gerund.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Even if one rewrites the sentence as you suggest, The sentence is far more natural for me as:

"The first thing he did in the morning...was get the newspaper and read it...".

than as:

"The first thing he did in the morning...was getting the newspaper and reading it...".

 

[tedmc]

I agree, the gerund form is not as natural but is not incorrect.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I agree too, so I don't understand why emsr2d2 considered it ungrammatical to use a gerund after the linking verb 'be' in this thread.

Not a teacher.

 

[Weaver67]

For what it's worth, the answer may have something to do with this sentence being a cleft structure.

Not a teacher.

 

[bhaisahab]

It is incorrect insofar as no native speaker would use it.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I don't think the problem with the kissing sentence is the cleft structure. I think it is the verb "want". One could write "All I can think about is kissing you". That works. But "I want kissing you" does not. Gerunds and infinitives are not interchangeable in all uses even though they both can be nouns.

 

[Matthew Wai]

'Want' cannot be followed by a gerund, so 'All I want is' cannot either.
Do you mean that?

 

[MikeNewYork]

I can't think of a sentence in which "want" takes a gerund.

I want to ride a horse. :tick:
I want riding a horse. :cross:

I want to buy a dog. :tick:
I want buying a dog. :cross:

 

[Weaver67]

I don't think the problem with the kissing sentence is the cleft structure. I think it is the verb "want". One could write "All I can think about is kissing you". That works. But "I want kissing you" does not. Gerunds and infinitives are not interchangeable in all uses even though they both can be nouns.

I seem to have been a bit misunderstood (no wonder), but that's, of course, my fault. Actually, I was referring to the sentence at the begining of this partiular thread and to what is common between it and that kissing sentence, taking into account the fact that "All I want is kiss you" can be perceived as the result of "to do" having been left out of "All I want to do is..." - which is a pseudo-cleft.

That said, I quite agree that gerunds and inifinitives are not interchangable in all uses, and that the problem with the kissing sentence (without any modifcations and variations that followed) is to do with the verb "want".

Not a teacher.

 

[Weaver67]

This car wants washing.
That plant wants watering daily.

Are both natural/correct?

Not a teacher.

 

[Matthew Wai]

'The carpet really wants cleaning.'── quoted from http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/want_1

Not a teacher.

 

[MikeNewYork]

1. Cars don't "want" things. The car needs washing/to be washed.
2. I would say the same for the plant, but it is closer to natural. You could say the plant needs water/watering daily.