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Teo Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

spend [time or money] on/in doing sth

1. He spends a lot of time entertaining friends.
2. He spends a lot of time on entertaining friends.
3. He spends a lot of time in entertaining friends.
#1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable?
  

Top answer

Teo 1. He spends a lot of time entertaining friends. 2.

— Hoa Thai

  • Teo 1.
  • He spends a lot of time entertaining friends.
  • 2.
  • He spends a lot of time on entertaining friends.
  • 3.
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5 Answers
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Teo1. He spends a lot of time entertaining friends.
2. He spends a lot of time on entertaining friends.
3. He spends a lot of time in entertaining friends.
#1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable?
2 and 3 do not sound natural to me. You might be able to find a few examples on the Internet but I doubt they are right. Spend time
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No, but [spend time on + NP] is possible (e.g. 'spend time on homework') where the NP is not a gerund with verbal force.

http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?p=337312#337312
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Hi, TEO,

What is NP? I googled it for grammar and thousands of refrences come up. They all assume, as you do, that we know what it is!

Thanks for your reply.
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AnonymousHi, TEO,

What is NP? I googled it for grammar and thousands of refrences come up. They all assume, as you do, that we know what it is!

Thanks for your reply.

Hi Anon,

NP = noun phrase. What Teo answers to his own question is that spend time on + noun phrase is an acceptable construct, as long as the noun
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