after contact with or contacting with

Question

Hi teachers,Wash your hands after contact with germs, ....1.  Why isn't 'contacting' used?2.  What about 'touching the germs'?ThanksTN

Clive · Accepted Answer

Wash your hands after contact with germs, ....

1. Why isn't 'contacting' used? Not wrong but not natural.

2. What about 'touching the germs'? Not wrong but not natural.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

1) contact - noun, a physical interaction.

Contacting - verb form. The verb is not used with the preposition "with" but the noun can be.

We need to contact our long-lost relatives. (Contact takes a direct object)
eg:
Contacting all our relatives for the family reunion took many months.

2. What about 'touching the germs'?

It is OK, but means using our fingers or hands, in a way that we are aware of the action.
Often we have contact with germs by just breathing the air. (air-borne bacteria or viruses)
Our hands can contact germs by handling paper money, or touching the surfaces where they live.
We touch the door handle, and come into contact with germs. We do not see and touch the germs themselves.

Grammarfreak · Answer

tinanam0102Hi teachers,Wash your hands after contact with germs, ....1. Why isn't 'contacting' used?2. What about 'touching the germs'?ThanksTN

Realistically, no one will intentionally "contact" germs. If my guess is correct, I think this is a translation hiccup. Technically, gerund should be used whenever we have a conjunctive context. i.e.
Please wash your hands after using the restroom.
You should always use turn signals before changing lane.
We had a chance to spend a couple of days in Rome while attending a conference in Milan.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Clive, hi AlpheccaStars, hi grammarfreak,

Thank you so much for correcting this thread.

TN

after contact with or contacting with

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