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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?
Smolina Fezaphitsh
Posted 2013-04-08T16:53:19.640
Reputation: 605
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You can say:
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.
kiamlaluno
Posted 2013-04-08T16:53:19.640
Reputation: 20 456
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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?"
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 – 2013-04-08T17:04:33.870
thanks for ur help, i can't accept more than one answer, that is the only bad in this site, sorry – Smolina Fezaphitsh – 2013-04-08T17:09:26.627
@Smolina, yes. See also kiamlaluno's answer; he is a competent and fluent speaker of English. – None – 2013-04-08T17:09:36.727
I need very very formal sentence, which one pelase? +1 – Smolina Fezaphitsh – 2013-04-08T17:05:27.793
You can go with the first or the third one; both can be used in formal contexts. – kiamlaluno – 2013-04-08T17:06:40.773
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 – 2013-04-08T20:21:31.177
@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." – kiamlaluno – 2013-04-08T20:46:34.750