afford +-ing

[papaya_cat]

Reliable sources say that afford can be followed by an infinitive with
to, but not an -ing form. I can't afford to buy a new car. (not
afford buying). But the same sources say that you surely can afford
something , can't you? Let us consider driving lessons . How should
one say:
I can't even afford driving lessons or I can't afford to
drive lessons? How about dancing lessons? And swimming costumes?
Can you afford to dance your lessons and swim your costumes?

[papaya_cat]

Some research has been done. The results are as follows:
People who could not afford swimming costumesswam naked. Nobody was
reported being unable to afford to swim her/his costume, however, some
people could afford to swim the Channel.
Muzzy the extraterrestrial gorilla was jailed for eating parking meters. It
seems more correct to say Muzzy cannot afford parking meters than
Muzzy cannot afford to park meters. However, there are far more of those
who cannot afford to have principlesthan these who cannot afford
having ones.

[md65]

In my opinion, one can afford living, czyli prymitywnie podołać żyć
and affording has a meaning of "właśnie daję rady" czy coś w tym
stylu.Spotkałem się z takimi konstrukcjami i , niestety, trzeba je
jakoś interpretować by np. kupca na bazarze zrozumieć :)

[shangazi]

zauważ:

1. can't afford to buy a house = nie mogę pozwolić sobie kupić dom = to buy =
bezokolicznik, …He can't afford to go to Paris = wyjechać do Paryża. W polskim
mówimy: … na wyjazd / na kupno, a w ang wyjechać / kupić

2. swimming costume / chopping board / dancing lessons = wyrażenia składające
się z gerund/rzecz odsłowny (czas. + -ing) + rzeczownik: kostium do pływania,
deska do krojenia, lekcje tańca/tańczenia. Zdanie z użyciem tych wyrażeń winno
być: I can't afford to pay for dancing lessons = nie mogę sobie pozwolić na
opłacenie lekcji tańca.

pozdrawiam

[chinwag]

A to ten papaya nie z przymrużeniem oka te wywody zamieścił?;)

[papaya_cat]

It might be serious. I agree that it would be more correct to say "we cannot
afford to pay for swimming costumes". On the other hand, the heatwave is coming
and people want to know what they can afford. According to the rules of grammar,
I mean.

Let me explain the problem step by step. Begin by contemplating a possibility of
buying a swimming costume: Can I afford to buy a swimming costume? My
dictionary says: afford (to do) sth. To dois in brackets, so you
can skip a verb. You get afford something. Something can be an
object described by a noun phrase, such as a swimming costume. If there
are more of them, you have to drop the indefinite article. You are left with
swimming costumes. The question becomes Can we afford swimming
costumes? The problem is evident. The verb afford is now directly
followed by the -ing form. This shouldn't happen because of another rule
that prohibits it. We started by using a correct rule which was followed by
correct logic that led to a contradiction.

In the meantime the heatwave is here, and Straż Miejska as well. You know,
people can't wait. If they don't know how to express their thoughts in a correct
way, they will just jump naked into a fountain. This is what they did yesterday
in Wrocław, three of them, and another one in Kraków, a British tourist. They
could later take a legal action against their teachers. What for? For not
having taught them how to use the word afford correctly. Who will pay the
fine?

[chinwag]

Gerund - a verb form / an adjective or a noun.

Or a problem caused by a heat wave;)

[papaya_cat]

Indeed. The background is correct. gerere - gerendum - gerundum - gerundium; Latin is a language that was once spoken in Rome. By the way, it's still around 30C there, they say. In the preceding sentence They means weathermen and women; weather from weder f. Gmc, probably.
Pozdrowienia

[perk]

Lots of words and no substance.

I can say I wish I could afford paying for a... whatever every day.. Now your rules and your reliable sources are in deep doo-doo.

I don't like your more correct concept of anything either.

[papaya_cat]

perk napisała:

> Lots of words and no substance.
>
> I can say I wish I could afford paying for a... whatever every day.. Now
> your rules and your reliable sources are in deep doo-doo.
>
> I don't like your more correct concept of anything either.
>
Thanks for the example.
I'm afraid the concept of absolute correctness would render my work useless.
In addition to afford, more verbs are usually followed by
to-infinitive. But is it correct to report a long list with no
exceptions? Some of them are: agree, hope and learn.
Can't I say:
I agree singing is a skill. Talent is not enough.
Let's agree thinking about it won't help.
She was pleased to learn writing was offered as a separate course.
He hoped swimming was a chance for him.
What about the following verbs: seem, swear, demand, deserve, offer...
guarantee?

[papaya_cat]

Some coursebooks at the B2 level publish lists of verbs that are followed by
-ing or followed by to-infinitive with no comment. It happens that
students learn those lists by heart. They end their courses and are pretty sure
that verbs like, for example, learn or manage are always followed
by to-infinitive.

However, according to M.Swan, Practical English Usage, 296.8 (OUP 1996),
verbs like learn and teach are followed by -ing forms when
we are referring to lessons or subjects of study. Infinitives are used when we
talk about the result of study.

She learnt to swim at school.
Students will learn submerging, floating and the beginner's stroke.

One can manage swimming pools or manage to swim a width of a pool.

Certainly, the meaning of manage is different in the two examples.

I think the same refers to most verbs on those lists.

[perk]

First read about gerund, present participle, and verb complement.


When you have absorbed the above, read this:

ebooks.unibuc.ro/filologie/cornilescu/15.pdf

[perk]

> I'm afraid the concept of absolute correctness would render my work usel
> ess.

Will you please stop this more correct, less correct, and absolutely correct nonsense?

> Can't I say:
> I agree singing is a skill. Talent is not enough.

Yes, you can.

> Let's agree thinking about it won't help.

Yes, you can.

> She was pleased to learn writing was offered as a separate course.

Yes, you can.

> He hoped swimming was a chance for him.

Yes, you can.

> What about the following verbs: seem, swear, demand, deserve, offer...
> guarantee?

Read on.

[perk]

> > Can't I say:
> > I agree singing is a skill. Talent is not enough.
> Yes, you can, but I prefer ...singing requires skill.