He's committed to cleaning another driveway

Question

Hi teachers,He's committed to cleaning another driveway.I'd like to know if "'s" in this sentence mean "has" or "is".   I personally understand it as "is".I'm not sure if it's correct to think:&gt; He has committed himself to cleaning another driveway.&gt; He is committed to cleaning another driveway.Thank you.Tinanam

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Both are possible and common. (Of course the "himself" is optional.)

The "is" version may be thought of as an adjective complement. "Committed" is non-finite.

The "has" version is present perfect tense. "Committed" is finite.

(The "is" version could also be passive voice, but it's a bit unlikely.)

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Avangi,

A dad asks his son to clear out the driveway because it's been showing. But his wife says he's committed to cleaning another driveway.

So based on the story, is this of "finite" committed?

Thank you.

Tinanam

Avangi · Answer

That's a good one.

At some point you have to make peace with the issue of "past participle as adjective" vs. "past participle as component of a finite verb, passive voice." Your example is a case which can be interpreted either way. (Not everyone agrees.) In this example, most people would say it's an adjective, but the passive verb interpretation is certainly possible.
It also depends on what you mean. The issue of "transitive vs. intransitive" also sneaks in here. In order to be an example of passive voice, the verb must be used transitively.
Well, we're safe in that regard. My dictionary doesn't give an intransitive usage for "to commit," which frankly surprises me. That means that if you use it in active voice in connection with your story, the verb would be reflexive, since it must have an object. "He has committed himself to cleaning another driveway." (I still can't believe "to commit" can't be used intransitively.)

In your story, the (non-finite) adjective could mean he's determined to clean another driveway. I know that's not what you mean. The adjective really gives you a lot of lattitude. You mean he's obligated to clean another driveway. He got to be that way either by (active voice) committing himself, or (passive voice) by being committed by somebody else.

The finite interpretation (passive voice) of your sentence is a bit unlikely in present tense, because it would mean that someone is committing him as you speak. That is clearly not what you mean.
It makes more sense in the past tense or (even better) in the present perfect. "He has been committed to cleaning another driveway." That is, someone has recently committted him.

Anyway, I think your best bet is to consider it an adjective (non-finite.)

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Avangi,

Thanks for a very detail explanation. I agree my best bet is an adjective.

And the sentence would read as "He is committed to cleaning another driveway."

_________

Just one more question:

From Oxford it says: He has committed himself to support his brother's children. (Verb)

But no examples provided for adjective usage.

Another one from an English Usage: I committed myself to doing it again. (verb) (Remarks: doing, and not "do")

From Longman: She's very committed to helping people who are homeless. (adj.)

> Would you please tell me if gerund should be used after " committed to"? You can see the examples from 3 different sources, which give very different usage. Thanks

Regards,

Tinanam

Avangi · Answer

tinanam0102> Would you please tell me if gerund should be used after " committed to"? You can see the examples from 3 different sources, which give very different usage.

Yes, it should. "To" in this case is a preposition, so it requires a noun as object:
committed to life
committed to living
committed to freedom
committed to stealing everything he can get hold of

He has committed himself to support his brother's children.

I take "to support" here as an infinitive. Let me think about it for a minute.

Goodman · Answer

As Avangi already explained, it could be either "is" or "has", depending on the context.

If one is committed to doing something, he is thought to be having his mind made up.

This form appears to be passive but "committed" functions as an participle adjective.

However, if one is mentally untable and is committed to an asylum, the committing is involuntary. In this case, it's passive.

The "have + particple" uages says that the commitment began sometime ago and still holds true.

i.e.

If someone said: "Dr Smith has committed the last 10 years of his life in the pursuit of a drug which will slow or even reduce the symptoms found in the patients affected by Alzheimer ..... This statement suggests the commitment for research is still ongoing.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Goodman, Hi Avangi,

While your examples help me solve "is" and "has" with committed, thank you, there's another question on "gerund" that graps my attention.

Oxford dictionary offers: He has committed himself to support his brother's children.

English Usage from one writer: I committed myself to doing it again. (He specifically stresses that "doing" it should be used, not "do".

So which one should I follow?

Regards,

Tinanam

Avangi · Answer

I'm still thinking!<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/37.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/37.gif' alt='Emotion: thinking'/>

Goodman · Answer

To the last question, I learned long ago that it's incorrect to use bare infinitve after "committing".

The rule of thumb is, certain verbs take the gerund form even though bare infinitve may appear to be the correct answer.

i.e. I am looking forward to seeing you agian/ spending time with you agian.

We are committed to going green. = We are committed to a greener environment

In this comparison, [going green] which is noun phrase equates to [a greener envirnment]

which is also a noun phrase.

The Gavel » Blog Archive » Pelosi, Reid to Bush: We Are Committed ...

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Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Goodman,

Thank you for the links.

I understand "committed to" takes a noun phrase or gerund. But "infinitive" usage from the Oxford dictionary makes me confused. Maybe it's because my dictionary is old and out-dated. I've had this since high school.

Regards,

Tinanam

He's committed to cleaning another driveway

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