Don't leave it killed/killing/ to kill

Question

Hi teachers!

Today I am going to ask about the usage of verb 'leave'. Here are some sentences I used to hear and make myself.

1. Please leave me alone. (0)

2. Don't leave her waiting outside (0)

3. Don't leaver her to wait outside (?)

4. He left the cat killed- by another cat. (?)

5. He left the cat killing- another cat. (?)

Many thanks to native teachers in advance. I always appreciate your help.

GPY · Accepted Answer

Michelle Cha1. Please leave me alone. (0)
2. Don't leave her waiting outside. (0)
3. Don't leave her to wait outside. (?)

These are all OK with the amendments shown.

Michelle Cha4. He left the cat killed- by another cat. (?)

It is an odd sentence. The idea of "leaving something killed" is a bit odd, and the punctuation is scruffy.

You have typed a hyphen (-) where presumably you intend a dash (– or —). Because proper dashes can be a nuisance to type, and because many people do not understand the difference anyway, and also for historical reasons of limited character sets, you will often see hyphens used instead of dashes. However, if you do this, you should at least put a space before and after it, not just after. In proper typography you should always use a dash. Spacing styles around dashes can vary, but a space before and after an "en" dash is advisable.

Blah blah blah – yadda yadda.

Some people use thin spaces:

Blah blah blah?—?yadda yadda.

Michelle Cha5. He left the cat killing- another cat. (?)

I don't know why you have inserted the dash/hyphen. Without this, the sentence is feasible but pretty limited in opportunity of use.

Don't leave it killed/killing/ to kill

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions