It as a referent to gerund and infinitive

Question

1. It doesn't help doing that.2. It doesn't help to do that.Are both sentences correct English?I think both are correct English if in both sentences, it is used as a referent to "doing that" and "to do that".

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

fire1
1. It doesn't help doing that.
2. It doesn't help to do that.
Are both sentences correct English?
I think both are correct English if in both sentences, it is used as a referent to "doing that" and "to do that".

Both sentences are correct, but it is more idiomatic to put an -ing form at the beginning, and a to form at the end (with dummy 'it') at the beginning. Thus, you will more typically see

Doing that doesn't help.
It doesn't help to do that.

But you will not typically see

It doesn't help doing that.
To do that doesn't help.

"it" is not a referring "it". It's called "dummy it". It's a place holder for the subject, because English requires an explicit subject, and the subject has been transferred to the end of the sentence. This movement of the subject is called "extraposition".

[To do that]_subj [doesn't help]_pred.
> becomes >
[It]_{dummy subj} [doesn't help]_pred [to do that]_{displaced subj}.

( 'displaced subj' = 'extraposed subject'. )

CJ

It as a referent to gerund and infinitive

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