Promise to do sth; surf the net

Question

Which sentence is correct? Bill promised to repair the car. Bill promised to me to repair the car. Bill promised me to repair the car. she is surfing the net she is surfing on the net Thank you!

Paco2004 · Accepted Answer

(1) Bill promised to repair the car.
(2) Bill promised to me to repair the car.
(3) Bill promised me to repair the car.

I would go with (1) and (3) though (2) would not be completely wrong.
promise to do :
you can omit if it can be easily known from the context.
(1) She is surfing the net
(2) She is surfing on the net

Both are OK, though my dictionary says there is a subtle difference in the nuance.
(1) She is surfing the net to collect the information she needs.
(2) She is surfing on the net just to spend the time.

paco

[PS] I'm a learner. So you can wait techers' replies.

Just the truth · Answer

1. Bill promised to repair the car.

This one is just dandy.

2. Bill promised to me to repair the car.

3. Bill promised me to repair the car.

While these do see some use in English, I'd say that the more common structure is,

S promised me that S ...

# 2 seems emphatic in nature, ie. the speaker is emphasizing the direction of the promise.

=

she is surfing the net
she is surfing on the net

JTT: I personally don't see the distinction noted by Paco's dictionary.

Pieanne · Answer

Maybe when you say "surfing the net", it means something like "raiding the net", because she is there to collect precise informations.
Whereas "surfing on the net" is a more idle occupation, she's ON the surface of things, doesn't need to dive in to get anything.

Promise to do sth; surf the net

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