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Teo Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
spend money/time [to do sth/doing sth]
0 1. The government spent a lot of time to help make this land better. 02 br
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00 2. He 01 u 01 i 00 spent 02 i 02 u 00 great efforts 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 help me. 02 br
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00 3. You don't have to 01 u 01 i 00 spend 02 i 02 u 00 a lot 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 be fashionable. 02 br
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00 4. The company 01 i 01 u 00 spends 02 u 02 i 00 a large sum of money 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 make advertisements every year. 02 br
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00 5. If we save our natural resources, we will have to 01 i 01 u 00 spend 02 u 02 i 00 a lot of money to find something 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 replace them. 02 br
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00 6. If we want to protect people's health, we must spend government money to control pollution. 02 br
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00 All the above sentences are quoted from 01 b 01 i 00 A Dictionary of Answers to Common Questions in English 02 i 02 b 00 , by Zhao Zhencai, a Chinese professor of English. 02 br
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00 Are the quoted sentences really acceptable? Can we really say "spend money/time to do sth"? 0-
02 br
00 2. He 01 u 01 i 00 spent 02 i 02 u 00 great efforts 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 help me. 02 br
02 br
00 3. You don't have to 01 u 01 i 00 spend 02 i 02 u 00 a lot 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 be fashionable. 02 br
02 br
00 4. The company 01 i 01 u 00 spends 02 u 02 i 00 a large sum of money 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 make advertisements every year. 02 br
02 br
00 5. If we save our natural resources, we will have to 01 i 01 u 00 spend 02 u 02 i 00 a lot of money to find something 01 u 00 to 02 u 00 replace them. 02 br
02 br
00 6. If we want to protect people's health, we must spend government money to control pollution. 02 br
02 br
00 All the above sentences are quoted from 01 b 01 i 00 A Dictionary of Answers to Common Questions in English 02 i 02 b 00 , by Zhao Zhencai, a Chinese professor of English. 02 br
02 br
00 Are the quoted sentences really acceptable? Can we really say "spend money/time to do sth"? 0-
Top answer
0 01 blockquote 01 cite 10 Teo 12 cite 10 Are the quoted sentences really acceptable? 12 blockquote 10 Yes, if you're telling the purpose, but there is also the pattern with the 01 i 00 -ing 02 i 00 words. 02 br 00 In some cases you can interpret the thought as both the activity and the purpose, so either one can be used.
- 0 01 blockquote 01 cite 10 Teo 12 cite 10 Are the quoted sentences really acceptable?
- 12 blockquote 10 Yes, if you're telling the purpose, but there is also the pattern with the 01 i 00 -ing 02 i 00 words.
- 02 br 00 In some cases you can interpret the thought as both the activity and the purpose, so either one can be used.
- ) 02 br 00 I would not use 01 i 00 spend 02 i 00 with 01 i 00 efforts 02 i 00 .
- 02 i 02 br 00 CJ 0-
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7 Answers
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0 01 blockquote
01 cite 10 Teo 12 cite 10 Are the quoted sentences really acceptable? Can we really say "spend money/time to do sth"? 12 blockquote10 Yes, if you're telling the purpose, but there is also the pattern with the 01 i 00 -ing 02 i 00 words. 01 i 00 spend money/time ---ing 02 i 00 . 02 br
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I spent three thousand dollars ___ the skirt. (A) buy (B) to buy (C) bought (D) buying
The answer is option D. Is option B also acceptable?
The answer is option D. Is option B also acceptable?
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It is to me!
Well, it's not acceptable to spend three grand on a skirt, but grammartically, I have no problem with that.
Well, it's not acceptable to spend three grand on a skirt, but grammartically, I have no problem with that.
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It's a test question in Taiwan. 1 US dollar is about 40 NT (New Taiwan) dollars.
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(I followed the link Sitifan/Teo provided in another forum to this thread)
> "I spent one hundred(*1) dollars to buy the skirt."
How about saying it as a stand-alone sentence?
Someone said this sentence sounded like there's more to it and the listener would want to ask "... and?". (I must admit, I'd feel the same if the person didn't say anything further).
> "I spent one hundred(*1) dollars to buy the skirt."
How about saying it as a stand-alone sentence?
Someone said this sentence sounded like there's more to it and the listener would want to ask "... and?". (I must admit, I'd feel the same if the person didn't say anything further).
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I'm not sure what you mean about a stand-alone sentence. We don't speak in a vaccuum.
Sometimes things don't work by themselves as a complete sentence, like using the past perfect without a subsequent action. (I had eaten dinner.)
Given the right context, all sorts of improbably sentences become possible.
This sentence doesn't require an improbably context.
I s
Sometimes things don't work by themselves as a complete sentence, like using the past perfect without a subsequent action. (I had eaten dinner.)
Given the right context, all sorts of improbably sentences become possible.
This sentence doesn't require an improbably context.
I s
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but if someone said "I spent $100 to buy that X" I would not find it so odd that I would noticeThis is good enough for me. Thanks.
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Maybe my last post sounds like I was questioning your answer. No. My post wasn't directed to you per se. For the test question sitifan provided, I'd choose "to buy" as well, because the sentence is perfectly fine (especially
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