proud to/of

Question

Dear teachersI know I can say:I am proud to be here as well as I am proud of being here.However I was told that sometimes it would sound a bit odd to use of + ing.e.g. I am proud of being here. ( I was told this is on the edge of broken English)Much better to say - I am proud to be here.What about these examples:1) I am proud to have done it.2) I am proud of having done it.1) I am proud to know him.2) I am proud of knowing him.I expect both sentences to be grammatically correct however the second one (of+ing) won´t be used that often . Am I right? Why is it that? I have discussed this with my teacher and we think that it might be more sublimely when we use of+ ing and therefore it  can sound a bit strange at times.What do you think?Thank you very much.

Englishmaven · Accepted Answer

All the examples are correct, but I prefer "proud to know" over "proud of knowing," but I think that is merely because for some reason, it is said more often. I do not agree with the "sublime" theory.

I would like to help you with your punctuation when you use the word "however."

However, I was told that sometimes it would sound a bit odd to use of + ing.
When you have "however" at the beginning of the sentence, put a comma after it. If it follows an independent clause that ends with a semi-colon, you need to put a comma after it then as well.

I don't like to do routine paperwork; however, my job requires it of me.

*I expect both sentences to be grammatically correct however the second one (of+ing) won´t be used that often .

I expect both sentences to be grammatically correct; however, the second one (of ) would not be used that often.

Tanner92 · Answer

Thank you very much for your help. I have got to print out your "however" advice. It is really useful.

But please could you tell why you choose the version with "to" more often? It may differ from person to person but still I don't believe there isn't any difference. What suggests you if somebody says " I am proud of driving this car" compared to " I am proud to drive this car" ? In other words I am looking for a reason why " I am proud of being here" sounds strange - I know you didn't say it but another native speaker did. Unfortunately I don't have an opportunity to ask him again and therefore one of my ideas was the one you didn't like (sublime theory) I didn't think of it as a rule. To me it just sounds very sublimely but that's maye because I am not used to hearing it that often.

Englishmaven · Answer

There are times when a particular form may sound more "educated" or "formal." There are times when phrases even sound "stuffy" or "stilted," even snobby or pretentious. But sometimes there are simply multiple ways to say the same thing. Language is and has to be flexible and versatile. Sometimes there is not a reason, and it turns out that the two alternatives for saying something are equally valid or acceptable.

Take sentences like these:

What do you do for a living?
I'm an English teacher.
I teach English.

Here we have two ways of saying essentially the same thing. One is not better than the other. I might choose either to express the idea. I might answer by saying what I am, or I might answer by saying what I do. They both answer the question naturally.

proud to/of

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