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Please clarify the difference between each option in the sentence below.

I would never use "got decapitated" in a formal report unless I was quoting a witness who said that, because it's bad enough having to / to have to / to read these things to begin with, the last thing I want is to increase the immediacy of the description for whomever the poor person having to read it is (sometimes myself in the future) and possibly vicariously traumatize them (even worse).

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  • Is the paragraph grammatical? :( What's the source?
    – Maulik V
    Commented May 4, 2014 at 5:00
  • Hi :) The original one is "having to" but I am curious to know what will differ if I replace it with "to have to" or "to". ell.stackexchange.com/questions/22684/…
    – user3214
    Commented May 4, 2014 at 5:00
  • Yes, after your edit it makes some sense ;)
    – Maulik V
    Commented May 4, 2014 at 7:05
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    I think both to-infinitive and the -ing form work fine and have a similar meaning. So "It's bad enough having to read" and "It's bad enough to have to read" both seem to work, but having two to-infinitive might sound a little jarring (like those double -ing, e.g. She was starting reading her book.) Also, "bad enough reading" and "bad enough to read" are both possible, imo, but they have no "have to" connotation.
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented May 4, 2014 at 9:12
  • @DamkerngT. Thank you so much :) I am not sure if "having to" is the progressive form of "have to" (obligation or certainty)
    – user3214
    Commented May 4, 2014 at 10:20

1 Answer 1

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Let's take a look at the clause,

It's bad enough having to read these things.

This basically means the same as,

It's bad enough to have to read these things.

Preparatory it is common with both an infinitive expression (to have to read) and an -ing form (having to read). (The -ing form is a little more informal.) So, you can use either form. It might be worth noting that saying "to have to X" might sound a little jarring, like those double -ing, e.g. "She was starting reading her book." Personally, I tend to rephrase "to have to X" to "having to X" myself, too.

It would be fine to write either of these,

It's bad enough to read these things.
It's bad enough reading these things.

They would have a similar meaning to your original, but without the "have to" connotation.

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