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Anonymous Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
"helped keep" or "helped kept"?
I run into a bit of confusion over which one is correct below:
The club's new signing has helped keep them constantly in the top 6 position year after year.
OR
The club's new signing has helped kept them constantly in the top 6 position year after year.
The club's new signing has helped keep them constantly in the top 6 position year after year.
OR
The club's new signing has helped kept them constantly in the top 6 position year after year.
Top answer
"helped us keep" is OK .
- "helped us keep" is OK .
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19 Answers
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The first one looks okay to me with a minor correction: position ---> positions
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In "helped kept", "helped" is carrying the past tense marker "ed" and "kept" (an irregular verb) is carrying the past tense marker "t". There should not be two past tense markers in the same clause like that, so "helped kept" is wrong, and only "helped keep" can be correct. (The exception is when the verbs form a series like "They hoped and prayed that ...".)
CJ
CJ
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Hello
I know the sentence #1 is correct. But could you tell me who (or what) is the subject of 'keep'?
paco
I know the sentence #1 is correct. But could you tell me who (or what) is the subject of 'keep'?
paco
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Why wouldn't it be "the club's new signing"? Or simply "signing", if you will.
In other words, wouldn't we analyze this the same as we analyze "I want to drink some water", where the subject of "want" and that of "drink" are the same ("I").
CJ
In other words, wouldn't we analyze this the same as we analyze "I want to drink some water", where the subject of "want" and that of "drink" are the same ("I").
CJ
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Hello CJ
So do you say "I helped me learn English"? Our Japanese verb "tasukeru" equivalent to English "help" does not this sort of sense. Our "help" is always transitive and requires some object (a person or thing) other than the subject. But, according to CJ's interpretation, it seems English "help" can be intransitive. A helper can help themselves. The English "help" and the Japanese "
So do you say "I helped me learn English"? Our Japanese verb "tasukeru" equivalent to English "help" does not this sort of sense. Our "help" is always transitive and requires some object (a person or thing) other than the subject. But, according to CJ's interpretation, it seems English "help" can be intransitive. A helper can help themselves. The English "help" and the Japanese "
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Hi, Paco.
'Help' doesn't necessarily take an object. You have probably seen the expression 'Hope this helps'
at the end of answers to the questions posted on this forum. Here, it's an intransitive. 'help' is an ergative verb, indeed.
Even when it is used as a transitive, the object is omitted if the main subject ('I') is the same as the subsubject(I created this term;
'Help' doesn't necessarily take an object. You have probably seen the expression 'Hope this helps'
at the end of answers to the questions posted on this forum. Here, it's an intransitive. 'help' is an ergative verb, indeed.
Even when it is used as a transitive, the object is omitted if the main subject ('I') is the same as the subsubject(I created this term;
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Paco,
Please give us your interpretation.
You don't think that the signing helped something and that the signing kept "them" on top?
How would you analyze the sentence? It's weird because the signing didn't actually keep them on top. It appears that the signing may have been one of many things which kept them on top. Maybe the signing helped this situation: that they shou
Please give us your interpretation.
You don't think that the signing helped something and that the signing kept "them" on top?
How would you analyze the sentence? It's weird because the signing didn't actually keep them on top. It appears that the signing may have been one of many things which kept them on top. Maybe the signing helped this situation: that they shou
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Hello KM and CJ
I understand "jogging helps promote health" is an elided form of "jogging helps (people or us) promote health". As for the sentence #1 presented by the questioner, I guess it is actually "the club's new signing has helped them keep themselves in the top 6 positions".
paco
I understand "jogging helps promote health" is an elided form of "jogging helps (people or us) promote health". As for the sentence #1 presented by the questioner, I guess it is actually "the club's new signing has helped them keep themselves in the top 6 positions".
paco
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Paco,
Yes, I think I'll have to change my mind on this one, because what you say makes sense. It's the signing that helps, and "they" who keep (themselves ... etc.). "help" doesn't work the same way as "want" after all.
Jim
Yes, I think I'll have to change my mind on this one, because what you say makes sense. It's the signing that helps, and "they" who keep (themselves ... etc.). "help" doesn't work the same way as "want" after all.
Jim
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