Is this sentence grammatically correct or not?
Is this correct?
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
Or should it be "...players and to understand..."
Or would both versions be correct?
Thank you!
grammar
add a comment |
Is this correct?
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
Or should it be "...players and to understand..."
Or would both versions be correct?
Thank you!
grammar
The second version is somewhat nonsensical.
– Hot Licks
Mar 17 at 2:02
add a comment |
Is this correct?
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
Or should it be "...players and to understand..."
Or would both versions be correct?
Thank you!
grammar
Is this correct?
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
Or should it be "...players and to understand..."
Or would both versions be correct?
Thank you!
grammar
grammar
asked Mar 17 at 0:55
ss3592ss3592
111
111
The second version is somewhat nonsensical.
– Hot Licks
Mar 17 at 2:02
add a comment |
The second version is somewhat nonsensical.
– Hot Licks
Mar 17 at 2:02
The second version is somewhat nonsensical.
– Hot Licks
Mar 17 at 2:02
The second version is somewhat nonsensical.
– Hot Licks
Mar 17 at 2:02
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
I believe both are ok, but I suggest inserting 'to' gives 'understanding' equal emphasis with being good team players.
New contributor
add a comment |
"...prepare students ... to understand" doesn't really work. They prepared him to understand is grammatical but a strange idea. You really need to add another verb: "... can prepare students to be good team players and help them to understand" or "... and help them to see".
can
prepare students to be ...
and
(can)
help them to ...
You can repeat or omit the second "can". The choice is a matter of style.
add a comment |
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
This is a matter of parallelism and elision.
You can look at it this way:
Such cooperation can prepare students to [be good team players] and [understand the value of other people’s perspectives].
If either one of either one of those phrases were missing and the to were removed, it would be ungrammatical:
✘ Such cooperation can prepare students understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
In the shorter sentence, the to is required:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
But when we read the sentence with the conjunction and the to in front of both items, we mentally assign it to both of them:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and [to] understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
As such, both versions are fine—either with the second to or without it. It's more natural to leave it out, but including it is by no means wrong—since it's implicitly there anyway.
I don't think they're fine but the objection is not on grammatical grounds. "... prepare them ... to understand" is semantically a poor choice.
– TRomano
Mar 17 at 14:26
I've asked several native speakers of AmE and they all said "prepare them to understand" sounds like something a non-native speaker would say. It's grammatical but a tad "off".
– TRomano
Mar 18 at 8:39
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
I believe both are ok, but I suggest inserting 'to' gives 'understanding' equal emphasis with being good team players.
New contributor
add a comment |
I believe both are ok, but I suggest inserting 'to' gives 'understanding' equal emphasis with being good team players.
New contributor
add a comment |
I believe both are ok, but I suggest inserting 'to' gives 'understanding' equal emphasis with being good team players.
New contributor
I believe both are ok, but I suggest inserting 'to' gives 'understanding' equal emphasis with being good team players.
New contributor
New contributor
answered Mar 17 at 4:05
ArtArt
211
211
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
"...prepare students ... to understand" doesn't really work. They prepared him to understand is grammatical but a strange idea. You really need to add another verb: "... can prepare students to be good team players and help them to understand" or "... and help them to see".
can
prepare students to be ...
and
(can)
help them to ...
You can repeat or omit the second "can". The choice is a matter of style.
add a comment |
"...prepare students ... to understand" doesn't really work. They prepared him to understand is grammatical but a strange idea. You really need to add another verb: "... can prepare students to be good team players and help them to understand" or "... and help them to see".
can
prepare students to be ...
and
(can)
help them to ...
You can repeat or omit the second "can". The choice is a matter of style.
add a comment |
"...prepare students ... to understand" doesn't really work. They prepared him to understand is grammatical but a strange idea. You really need to add another verb: "... can prepare students to be good team players and help them to understand" or "... and help them to see".
can
prepare students to be ...
and
(can)
help them to ...
You can repeat or omit the second "can". The choice is a matter of style.
"...prepare students ... to understand" doesn't really work. They prepared him to understand is grammatical but a strange idea. You really need to add another verb: "... can prepare students to be good team players and help them to understand" or "... and help them to see".
can
prepare students to be ...
and
(can)
help them to ...
You can repeat or omit the second "can". The choice is a matter of style.
edited Mar 17 at 10:47
answered Mar 17 at 10:41
TRomanoTRomano
17.7k22248
17.7k22248
add a comment |
add a comment |
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
This is a matter of parallelism and elision.
You can look at it this way:
Such cooperation can prepare students to [be good team players] and [understand the value of other people’s perspectives].
If either one of either one of those phrases were missing and the to were removed, it would be ungrammatical:
✘ Such cooperation can prepare students understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
In the shorter sentence, the to is required:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
But when we read the sentence with the conjunction and the to in front of both items, we mentally assign it to both of them:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and [to] understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
As such, both versions are fine—either with the second to or without it. It's more natural to leave it out, but including it is by no means wrong—since it's implicitly there anyway.
I don't think they're fine but the objection is not on grammatical grounds. "... prepare them ... to understand" is semantically a poor choice.
– TRomano
Mar 17 at 14:26
I've asked several native speakers of AmE and they all said "prepare them to understand" sounds like something a non-native speaker would say. It's grammatical but a tad "off".
– TRomano
Mar 18 at 8:39
add a comment |
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
This is a matter of parallelism and elision.
You can look at it this way:
Such cooperation can prepare students to [be good team players] and [understand the value of other people’s perspectives].
If either one of either one of those phrases were missing and the to were removed, it would be ungrammatical:
✘ Such cooperation can prepare students understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
In the shorter sentence, the to is required:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
But when we read the sentence with the conjunction and the to in front of both items, we mentally assign it to both of them:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and [to] understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
As such, both versions are fine—either with the second to or without it. It's more natural to leave it out, but including it is by no means wrong—since it's implicitly there anyway.
I don't think they're fine but the objection is not on grammatical grounds. "... prepare them ... to understand" is semantically a poor choice.
– TRomano
Mar 17 at 14:26
I've asked several native speakers of AmE and they all said "prepare them to understand" sounds like something a non-native speaker would say. It's grammatical but a tad "off".
– TRomano
Mar 18 at 8:39
add a comment |
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
This is a matter of parallelism and elision.
You can look at it this way:
Such cooperation can prepare students to [be good team players] and [understand the value of other people’s perspectives].
If either one of either one of those phrases were missing and the to were removed, it would be ungrammatical:
✘ Such cooperation can prepare students understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
In the shorter sentence, the to is required:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
But when we read the sentence with the conjunction and the to in front of both items, we mentally assign it to both of them:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and [to] understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
As such, both versions are fine—either with the second to or without it. It's more natural to leave it out, but including it is by no means wrong—since it's implicitly there anyway.
Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
This is a matter of parallelism and elision.
You can look at it this way:
Such cooperation can prepare students to [be good team players] and [understand the value of other people’s perspectives].
If either one of either one of those phrases were missing and the to were removed, it would be ungrammatical:
✘ Such cooperation can prepare students understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
In the shorter sentence, the to is required:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
But when we read the sentence with the conjunction and the to in front of both items, we mentally assign it to both of them:
✔ Such cooperation can prepare students to be good team players and [to] understand the value of other people’s perspectives.
As such, both versions are fine—either with the second to or without it. It's more natural to leave it out, but including it is by no means wrong—since it's implicitly there anyway.
answered Mar 17 at 14:08
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
19k32245
19k32245
I don't think they're fine but the objection is not on grammatical grounds. "... prepare them ... to understand" is semantically a poor choice.
– TRomano
Mar 17 at 14:26
I've asked several native speakers of AmE and they all said "prepare them to understand" sounds like something a non-native speaker would say. It's grammatical but a tad "off".
– TRomano
Mar 18 at 8:39
add a comment |
I don't think they're fine but the objection is not on grammatical grounds. "... prepare them ... to understand" is semantically a poor choice.
– TRomano
Mar 17 at 14:26
I've asked several native speakers of AmE and they all said "prepare them to understand" sounds like something a non-native speaker would say. It's grammatical but a tad "off".
– TRomano
Mar 18 at 8:39
I don't think they're fine but the objection is not on grammatical grounds. "... prepare them ... to understand" is semantically a poor choice.
– TRomano
Mar 17 at 14:26
I don't think they're fine but the objection is not on grammatical grounds. "... prepare them ... to understand" is semantically a poor choice.
– TRomano
Mar 17 at 14:26
I've asked several native speakers of AmE and they all said "prepare them to understand" sounds like something a non-native speaker would say. It's grammatical but a tad "off".
– TRomano
Mar 18 at 8:39
I've asked several native speakers of AmE and they all said "prepare them to understand" sounds like something a non-native speaker would say. It's grammatical but a tad "off".
– TRomano
Mar 18 at 8:39
add a comment |
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The second version is somewhat nonsensical.
– Hot Licks
Mar 17 at 2:02