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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > help plz!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

help plz!!!!!!!!!!!!!



om montaha
Tunisia

help plz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
what �s correct alternative?
help so do sth or help so to do sth?

19 Nov 2011      





ueslteacher
Ukraine

help somebody (to) do something The college �s aim is to help students (to) achieve their aspirations.This charity aims to help people (to) help themselves.Come and help me lift this box.help (to) do something She helped (to) organize the party.check here http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/help
Sophia

19 Nov 2011     



om montaha
Tunisia

THANKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

19 Nov 2011     



Lina Ladybird
Germany

I agree. It �s definitely "help so. to do sth.", BUT I�ve seen different examples lots of times:
Could you help me clean the windows on Saturday?
vs
Could you help me TO clean the windows on Saturday?
 
Seems like the word "to" can be omitted in most cases... Ermm I�ve always been confused with this subject and still am sometimes!!
 
Maybe some native speakers can enlighten us? PLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASE! ;-)) Thanks a lot in advance... Thumbs Up
 

19 Nov 2011     



maker1
Turkey

Help is not a modal verb and we cannot use bare infinitive after it. So � �to infinitive � � or even an � �ing form � � of the verb can be used but not the bare infinitive.
That is my opinion. 
Native speakers may help to explain further which might help us to understand the matter better. By the way, I can �t help still missing some of the old friends.
 

20 Nov 2011     



mariec
Spain

The verb " help " can be used with both, full infinitive and bare infinitive.so both sentences are correct

Hope you are all having a great weekend, here in Spain,  a very wet one!!

20 Nov 2011     



maker1
Turkey

We use the bare infinitive after modal auxiliary verbs like will, shall, would, could, can (but not be able to), may, might, must (but not have to), should (but not ought to), and needn �t, (but not need, which behaves like a normal verb)

After the object with certain verbs, such as make, let we use bare infinitive. Help is not part of these verbs and that is still my opinion. By the way spoken English can make anything possible but then again that is not what you would teach your students would you?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv226.shtml

20 Nov 2011     



zailda
Brazil

Hi!
 
1) Help someone do something
2) Help someone to do something
 
Both forms are correct, but American usage determines we usually use "help someone do something".

20 Nov 2011     



almaz
United Kingdom

Om, can I, as a native speaker, teacher and part-time grammar nut, just say that both are perfectly grammatical. �Help � is one of the very few lexical verbs (as opposed to modals) which can take a bare infinitival complement - with or without an object:

John helped clean the kitchen.
John helped mum clean the kitchen.

It also takes a to-infinitival complement, as everyone has pointed out:

John helped to clean the kitchen.
John helped mum to clean the kitchen.

I have no idea where the notion that �help � can �t take a bare infinitive comes from. Check Michael Swan �s Practical English Usage under, surprisingly, the entry �help �, or Murphy �s English Grammar in Use, for example, if you �re still in doubt.

20 Nov 2011