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I want to say this sentence:

Could you help me to find a financial support please?

Would it be more correct to say to find or to say finding? Is there a general rule to determine whether to verb or verb+ing is more correct? Is there a better way to construct that sentence?

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2 Answers 2

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You can say:

  1. Could you help me to find financial support, please?
  2. Could you help me find financial support, please?
  3. Could you help me in finding financial support, please?

The second sentence is normally used in informal contexts, or when speaking. The OALD has the following note about using "help somebody to":

In verb patterns with a to infinitive, the ‘to’ is often left out, especially in informal or spoken English.

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  • I need very very formal sentence, which one pelase? +1
    – Smolina Fezaphitsh
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 17:05
  • You can go with the first or the third one; both can be used in formal contexts.
    – avpaderno
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 17:06
  • I'm not sure you can say "A financial support". "Could you help me find/get/apply for financial support" would be more normal.
    – Matt
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 20:21
  • @Matt You are right; I was focusing on "help me to find / finding." Financial support should not require the article, as it doesn't need one in "Carers do not always realize that they can receive financial support."
    – avpaderno
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 20:46
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After help we can use 'object' + 'infinitive', with and without to.

So,

  • Could you help me to find a financial support?

  • Could you help me find a financial support?

are both appropriate.

Anyway, I often see "please" is placed just after the subject and "can" is used in place of "could": "Can you please help me [to] find a financial support?"

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  • please are you sure that "Can you please help me to find a financial support?" is 100% correct grammatcially, cos it is very important to me, also +1
    – Smolina Fezaphitsh
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 17:04
  • thanks for ur help, i can't accept more than one answer, that is the only bad in this site, sorry
    – Smolina Fezaphitsh
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 17:09
  • @Smolina, yes. See also kiamlaluno's answer; he is a competent and fluent speaker of English.
    – user114
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 17:09

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