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Bmojtaba Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Infinitive vs gerund

'To build the tunnel they had to bore through the solid rock'
'building the tunnel they had to bore through the solid rock'

I think building is a modifying adverbial phrase which shows cause,is it the same for to build ? what's difference exactly in the meaning and the grammar?
  

Top answer

Here's how I read them. ' To build the tunnel they had to bore through the solid rock' - They could not have built the tunnel without boring through the solid rock. They had the job of building the tunnel, and in order to reach that goal they had to bore through the rock.

— CalifJim

  • Here's how I read them.
  • ' To build the tunnel they had to bore through the solid rock' - They could not have built the tunnel without boring through the solid rock.
  • They had the job of building the tunnel, and in order to reach that goal they had to bore through the rock.
  • ' Building the tunnel they had to bore through the solid rock' - When they were building the tunnel, they discovered that they would have to bore through the rock.
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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Here's how I read them.

'To build the tunnel they had to bore through the solid rock' - They could not have built the tunnel without boring through the solid rock. They had the job of building the tunnel, and in order to reach that goal they had to bore through the rock.

'Building the tunnel they had to bore through the solid rock' - When they were building
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