0
Roky0071 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

It is easy to say vs It is easy (in) saying

I noticed a couple of sentences such as:
He is quick to hear (in hearing) but slow to speak (in speaking) with gerundial infinitives. If I apply same rule on the sentence below, then it is meaningful and carries the same meaning?
"It is easy to say (in saying)" Please help me understand the topic.
  

Top answer

"It is easy in saying" is not right. "quick in hearing" and "slow in speaking" feel a bit unusual to me, though not wrong. The main difference seems to be that "it" is the object of "say", while "he" is the subject of "hear" and "speak".

— GPY

  • "It is easy in saying" is not right.
  • "quick in hearing" and "slow in speaking" feel a bit unusual to me, though not wrong.
  • The main difference seems to be that "it" is the object of "say", while "he" is the subject of "hear" and "speak".
  • I can't think of any examples analogous to the "say" sentence that could be converted into the "in verb-ing" form.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
"It is easy in saying" is not right.

"quick in hearing" and "slow in speaking" feel a bit unusual to me, though not wrong.

The main difference seems to be that "it" is the object of "say", while "he" is the subject of "hear" and "speak". I can't think of any examples analogous to the "say" sentence that could be converted into the "in verb-ing" form.
0

Related Questions