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I wonder if “hinder” can be used to describe a situation where “we prevent something bad from happening”.
For example,
Put on this jacket, and it will hinder you from catching a cold”.
Does this sentence above sound awkward? Or grammatically incorrect?
This is the wrong usage. 'Hinder' means to make it more difficult to reach a goal, and catching a cold is (presumably) not a goal.
If this were in a story where someone wanted to catch a cold, someone might say "Then don't put on a jacket, as it would hinder you catching a cold."
(Actually, I've read getting cold outside in the winter does not make catching a cold more likely, but I'm not sure I believe it, and it is a generally held belief.)
Thank you for your answer. I have another question. Some dictionary lists an example of hinder as in “to hinder a man from commiting a crime”. In this case, committing a crime is the man’s goal so this sentence makes sense?
Wearing a mask hinders you from suffering from covid-19. This sentence doesn’t make sense, either. Right?
