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Peaceblinkfriend Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

"...has been to give us..."

0One of the greatest achievements of chemistry has been 01i00to give02i00 us an understanding of fundamental laws that describe the way matter changes. 02br
00Would the sentence sound better if it read "...has been giving us..." instead? 02br
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00Thank you02br
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00PBF 0-
  

Top answer

0 No. That would make it seem as if the achievement has been doing some giving. You need to block that interpretation.

— CalifJim

  • 0 No.
  • That would make it seem as if the achievement has been doing some giving.
  • You need to block that interpretation.
  • 02br 02br 00CJ 0-
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5 Answers
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0 No. That would make it seem as if the achievement has been doing some giving. You need to block that interpretation. Do you understand what I mean?02br
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00CJ 0-
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0Thank you for your reply Jim but I don't really understand what you mean. Could you explain a bit more, please? 02br
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00Thank you again 02br
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00PBF0-
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0***The 01b00achievement 02b00 has been providing/giving you with an understanding. [to be avoided0-
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0but then what tense is 'has been to give' ?02br
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00Thanks 02br
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00PBF0-
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1i00 to give 02i00as any infinitive or participle or gerund is atemporal02br
00thus the tense is given by 01i00has been02i00, perfect present0-
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