Too...to...

Question

Hi,In these three sentences below, can I omit the word "on" and "with" ?"The pavement is too hot in summer for me to walk on from my home to the store." "The pencil is too short for me to draw a picture with.""The road is too narrow for two buses to run together on". Thank you very much.

MountainHiker · Accepted Answer

stephenlearner"The pavement is too hot in summer for me to walk on from my home to the store."

Yes, you can delete "on". It is implied.

stephenlearner"The pencil is too short for me to draw a picture ~~with~~."

Yes, you can delete "with". Again, it is implied.

stephenlearner"The road is too narrow for two buses to run together on".

Sentence is awkwardly phrased. "Run together on" doesn't sound good. And although I can guess what you mean, others might have difficulty. Let's rephrase your sentence.

1) The road is too narrow for two buses to pass each other.

2) The road is too narrow for two buses to pass side-by-side.

I would suggest that the first option is the better option. There's no "on" in that sentence, though.

Others might think that "run together" means in single file. That is, one behind the other. In that case, though, as long as the road is wide enough for one bus, it is wide enough for both since they are in single file.

I hope that helps.

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