Help (..bare infinitive)

Question

We know that help, let and make are termed as bare infinitive such as-

1. Please help me do the work. Usually we dont say -please help me to do the work.

2. Could you help me solve the problem? we dont say -could you help me to solve the problem?

In a magazine i have seen that they have violated the rules. I am mentioning some sentences from the magazine.

a) We have helped them to learn many new topics.

b) He helped me to show the new technique of solving the social problems.

Please help me clarify the confusion!

Holyduke · Accepted Answer

I was confused on this topic a while ago, someone explained this to me.

I think make, let, get, help, have are called causatives.

We have helped them to learn many new topics.

- we give them textbooks, pencils, pens, computers, and provide them with teachers to show the correct path "to learn many new topics."

Without the to, it means we learned new topics for them which wouldn't make sense.

An easier example is with homework.

I helped him do his homework. (I did it for him, or gave hime the answers) -- help has always been a funny subject to me, it seems to go along with causatives, but slightly different from the others.

I helped him to do his homework. (I gave him my lectures notes or provide hints/tools/and the such...) -->I don't think this is a causative.

I think make, let, get, help, have are called causatives.

Here is something from wiki:

Similarly with several common verbs of permission or causation, including make, bid, let, and have. So, "I made/bade/let/had him do it." (However, make takes a to-infinitive in the passive voice: "I was made to do it.")

Dimsumexpress · Answer

holydukeI think make, let, get, help, have are called causatives.

Let and make, as far as I understand, are almost never followed by " to infinitive" verbs. i.e. He often makes me laugh, no "to". He let me borrow his car. not "to borrow". However, "help" can be used with or without "to". We can help improve the environment by recycling. Or we can help our environment to improve by recycling.

John always has his house cleaned by a cleaning company. "Has" - is causatively used. But I doubt " help" is though.

Holyduke · Answer

" help has always been a funny subject to me, it seems to go along with causatives, but slightly different from the others. "

I have similar doubts. I didn't put help in the causative section when orgainzing class material. The meaning of help in the sentence differ from make, let, get, have.

Due to the similar sentence structure, my senior teachers at my work place teach help with the causatives.

seems like many taiwanese teachers teach that way in middle school, so we cram school teachers have to do so as well for the students to pass tests. >< sorry for the confusion

IEEE · Answer

Dear all,

Thanks. This is very important discussions indeed.

Regards,

IEEE

Help (..bare infinitive)

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