Are these grammatically acceptable?
1 He encouraged my working hard. (always)
2 He encouraged me to work hard. (always or one-off occurrence)
Is this wrong?
3 He encouraged my applying for the visa. (wrong - because it's only a one-off occasion)
3
-
2"Encourage" takes both infinitival and gerund-participial complements. Both genitive and non-genitive forms are permitted in the latter, with the genitive as usual being more formal.– BillJOct 6, 2021 at 7:38
-
Do you see the difference which comes down to the following: encourage someone to do smth - means a one-off action, encourage someone's doing something - means on a regular basis.– user1425Oct 6, 2021 at 7:49
-
2No, and there is nothing wrong with your example 3.– BillJOct 6, 2021 at 7:51
Add a comment
|