Infinitive and gerund

Question

Hello,Below you find two sentences, which do you think is "more" correct.  Or could it be that the other one is completely wrong? I can't tell anymore. Our main task has been to find out new solutions...Our main task has been finding out new solutions...If you could say why do you think one is better than the other, I'd apppeciate it.Thanks all.

MichalS · Accepted Answer

AnonymousOur main task has been to find out new solutions...

I'd only use this one, as tasks are usually expressed by an infinitive, not gerund.

Besides, the second one may be easily misread as a present perfect continuous sentence, "has been finding out" being the verbal phrase, which wouldn't make much sense, of course.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

AnonymousOur main task has been to find out new solutions...

Gerund will not be a semantically correct choice for the above sentence in my opinion

But "Finding new solutions will be our top priority" is.

Cool Breeze · Answer

AnonymousOur main task has been to find out new solutions...

Our main task has been finding out new solutions...

Since the present participle and the present gerund are identical in form in English, the second sentence may indeed appear slightly vague for a second or two when one reads it. It is, however, perfectly grammatical. I have met people who object to using the infinitive after forms of to be. For example,

To see is to believe.

Seeing is believing is indeed more common.

CB

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Cool BreezeOur main task has been finding out new solutions...

Cool BreezeSeeing is believing is indeed more common.

While the "seeing is believing" example is true, the fact remains that both "seeing" and "believing" are pure gerunds in form while the original sentence had a completely different context.
I believe when we have contexts with a purpose, a reason, a goal or a mission, it's something we wished to have happened; much like saying " I hope / plan to complete my MBA this year". So using "finding out..." instead of infintive (to find) seemed to have a syntactically odd ring to my ears.
That's how I would see it.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousBelow you find two sentences, which do you think is "more" correct. Or could it be that the other one is completely wrong? I can't tell anymore.

Our main task has been to find out new solutions...

Our main task has been finding out new solutions...

If you could say why do you think one is better than the other, I'd apppeciate it.Nine times out of ten, when you have the choice, the gerund comes at the beginning of a sentence, and the infinitive comes later, so it depends on the order of elements in your sentence.

Finding out new solutions is .... But ... task has been to find out new solutions.
Knowing she was loved gave her great satisfaction. But It gave her great satisfaction to know she was loved.
Making very accurate observations was essential. But It was essential to make very accurate observations.
Reading old books can be interesting. But It can be interesting to read old books.

This is not to say that you can never vary the pattern.

CJ

Cool Breeze · Answer

CalifJimIt gave her great satisfaction to know she was loved.

This is indeed the normal structure after a noun:
I gave him a book to read.
I have enough money to buy it.

CalifJimIt was essential to make very accurate observations.

And after nearly all adjectives:
It was impossible to do it.
It's easy to speak English.
CalifJimIt can be interesting to read old books.

Interesting is a present participle used adjectivally.

In the original sentence a gerund/an infinitive was used immediately after a form of to be. I know no grammarian who doesn't consider an infinitive and a gerund interchangeable in such contexts. I know that one or the other can be far more common in certain expressions in actual use. Otto Jespersen gives these examples among others:

To see her is to love her.
Complimenting is lying.

But - wouldn't life be boring if we all agreed on everything?

CB

MichalS · Answer

Hi CB,

Leaving aside grammar

, the second original sentence does sound wrong to my ear. It's not because of the verb 'to be' that precedes it, I guess, as your sentences, like "Complimenting is lying", don't bother me at all. It must be that tasks are usually expressed by an infinitive, I think.

Is it only me or do you find the second sentence more natural than the first one?

1) Our main task has been finding out new solutions.
2) Our main job/occupation has been finding out new solutions.

Cool Breeze · Answer

MichalS It must be that tasks are usually expressed by an infinitive, I think.

Hi MichaelS

I don't pretend to have the final truth about this at all. I'm just really writing what grammarians have said about the use of the infinitive and the gerund. It isn't that exceptional that they accept structures that many native speakers avoid. I cannot say which of your two sentences is more natural to native ears. I have read such a variety of English-language texts from various sources and periods of time that they both sound equally good to my ear. (My ear may have been spoiled by texts written by nonnative/non-native

speakers.)

CB

Dimsumexpress · Answer

MichalSIt must be that tasks are usually expressed by an infinitive, I think.

I don't think that is the reason. Whether infinitve is called for is depending on the context and constrcution of the sentnece, not noun specific.

MichalS1) Our main task has been finding out new solutions.
2) Our main job/occupation has been finding out new solutions.

Hi Michals,
Pardon me, but did you intend to mean that the main task or occupation is the subject and "has been finding out new soulution" is the result? That's what these two sentences are saying which is not what you really had in mind, is it ? I believe we can't use gerund (finding) in a construction like this and only infinitive will express the meaning correctly. So if I am not mistaken, the correct form should be:

Our main task has been to find out new solutions.

Web reference:

Nov 4, 2009 ... "However, from the outset, our goal has been to secure the best long-term solution for our customers, employees, suppliers and dealers, ...www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/nov/04/generalmotors-vauxhall -Jul 13, 2009 ... More specifically, our goal has been to identify approximately $20 million in recurring budget cuts while envisioning a flatter, ...oregonstate.edu/leadership/budget/memo-to-president-ray-7-13-09.pdf

CalifJim · Answer

Cool Breezewouldn't life be boring if we all agreed on everything?

Yes, but I don't see the disagreement. I gave a very rough rule of thumb based only on probabilities. I'm just saying that a learner "flying blind" could make the choice between infinitive and gerund using that rough rule and be right most of the time. I'm not saying anything about how to choose based on a grammatical analysis of the sentence. But maybe that was too frivolous of me!

And I did add that note at the end implying that it doesn't always work according to my little "rule".

CJ

Infinitive and gerund

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