How is self-isolating coming along?
How is self-isolation coming along?
Are both these sentences grammatically correct? And if one isn't, why?
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Sign up to join this communityHow is self-isolating coming along?
How is self-isolation coming along?
Are both these sentences grammatically correct? And if one isn't, why?
we use "come along" to refer to the progress or state of something, as in "how's the project coming along" (how much progress have you made on the movie?/ what state or phrase is the project in?) so as you can see we need a noun in a question like that (like project, baby, etc)
we can make the noun out of a gerund (isolating) or using a suffix (isolation) but which one works better here? let's see
The gerund refers to the act or process of doing something - the activity itself and nothing further.
The -ion form of a root can mean the act of doing something, but usually leans toward meaning its result, effect, or manifestation - something that persists or evidences after the activity.
(ref: Difference between gerunds and nouns ending in -tion)
so do we mean "the act of isolating oneself along with its results and effects" or the "process" of isolation alone? the answer would be the former, hence the reason why -ion suffix works better here.