Typical American construction: "I drew my pistol and stopped the intruder from attacking me."
Typical British construction: "I drew my pistol and stopped the intruder attacking me."
Is the latter usage truly considered completely correct in British English, if the intended meaning is exactly the same as in the first sentence above?
To an American reader, the second construction gives the implication that the attack is already occurring, i.e., it's equivalent to saying "I drew my pistol and stopped the intruder who was (already) attacking on me." Not so apparently to a British reader.
Other similar sentences would include:
- "I hit the brake and stopped the car rolling forward"
- "The prime minister stopped the vote going forward"
These would seem strange to an American reader but perhaps not to a British reader. But are they truly considered correct in the British context?
Other similar verbs experience the same difference in construction – for example "prevented", etc.