Which sentence is correct?

Question

We sent two of our people to remove all the rain water which is accumualted on the roof and the pool area / We sent two of our people for removing all the water from the roof and the pool area

Fandorin · Accepted Answer

Both are correct. First one just gives more details.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Hi Anon,

In natural English, only the 1st version is used, although version #2 (the gerund form) looks grammatically correct, it's unidiomatic. Better yet, I would think it should be:

We've sent two of our people to remove all the rain water which has been accumualted on the roof and the pool area.

Fandorin · Answer

dimsumexpress it's unidiomatic.

I doubt it. It's natural.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Hi Fandorin,

If you are issuing this challenge to prove your point, I will return with this friendly message. I am afraid your attempt may be futile. Based on the original posted context, (we sent two of our people to remove / for removingthe water...), I am willing to wager a beer which will have my name on it. And the wager is natives and people with good English would be unlikely to use the gerund form to express the specific action. However, you can say " for the clean up", not "removing". My oriental logon may lure to think I am a learner, let it not fool you.

Fandorin · Answer

Let's see what teachers have in this regard. Anyway, it's my point and I believe it's true until I get some proof from people I know here. No offence, but that's it.

dimsumexpressAnd the wager is natives and people with good English would be unlikely to use the gerund form to express the specific action.

We will see.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

FandorinAnyway, it's my point and I believe it's true until I get some proof from people I know here. No offence, but that's it.

Fandorin,

I feel quite comfortable that using gerund in this construction is not something the experts would agree on. I think your belief in the using of gerund in this construct could be a self-perpetuated one. No offense is taken and given here. But for the sake of learning, please consider for following sentences based on the similar sentence construction; if you still hold your belief on the gerund form is natural English, and can be used just affectively as the the infinitive, I would sit quietly to listen to your reasons.

It took Paul, John, Richard and Mike day-and-night for a week to finish/ for finishing painting this huge house!

I've called three different companies to compare / for comparing prices on the carpet.

I was told that every month, we should pour a box of baking soda into the garbage disposal and let it sit over night to remove / for removing the aweful grime and smell.

I'll take a rain check for that beer!

Khoff · Answer

As a native speaker, I'll confirm that I would never say "we sent someone for removing such and such." I would never select the gerund in Dimsumexpress's other examples either.

I would also like to point out that "accumulated" is spelled and used incorrectly throughout the thread. I would say 'the water which/that has accumulated on the roof."

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Hi Khoff,

Thank you for the affirmation. I am relieved that I didn't lose my wager.

Yes, the spelling was carelessly overlooked as I was too deeply entranched in the "gerund" discussion.

khoffI would say 'the water which/that has accumulated on the roof."

I've noticed that you opted to use "water has accumulated...." rather than "water has been accumulated. Shouldn't this be a passive context as water was collected at the low spots on the roof? I did some counter-checking on Googling and the results seem to confirm the passive use.

Akash Ganga RWH - Rain Centre

We intend to collect and display statistics of how much rain water has been accumulated over time. We also intend to have a water testing facility on site ...www.raincentre.org/ - Cached - Similar

Analysis of water resources variability of the Caspian and Aral ...

by E Shermatov - 2004 - http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&cites=11332617938369135818&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=tn8mS-DoBIbIsAOH8pWYBQ&sa=X&oi=science_links&resnum=3&ct=sl-citedby&ved=0CA4QzgIwAg - http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=related:ykS23_iLRZ0J:scholar.google.com/&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=tn8mS-DoBIbIsAOH8pWYBQ&sa=X&oi=science_links&resnum=3&ct=sl-related&ved=0CA8QzwIwAg
More then 180 km3 of water has been accumulated in reservoirs for irrigation use. However, after reaching a minimum level in 1977, the level has begun to

Can you shed some lights on the discrepnncy?

Fandorin · Answer

dimsumexpressand can be used just affectively as the the infinitive

I didn't say such thing.
Thank you Khoff for popping by.

I have a question then. There is no way whatever to use -ing form of a verb after "for" as to express purpose, is there not?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/for

4.In order to obtain, gain, or acquire.

I'm now perplexed by it. [:^)]

BarbaraPA · Answer

If you used the passive, it would sound as though an agent had deliberately captured that water, instead of it occurring naturally.

No one deliberately accumulated that water.

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