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Edwin Ashworth
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The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form (obviously, the -ing form has to be nearer the verbal, participial, end of the spectrum for catenation of verbs to apply - see below). They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with more-nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs - although the 'present participle/gerund form' mysteriously suddenly narrows to the 'gerund form'. The Quirk umpteen-point gradience along the verb - noun continuum for -ing forms is, I believe, a more accurate model, so I prefer the cover term '-ing formform'.

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form (obviously, the -ing form has to be nearer the verbal, participial, end of the spectrum for catenation of verbs to apply - see below). They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with more-nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs - although the 'present participle/gerund form' mysteriously suddenly narrows to the 'gerund form'. The Quirk umpteen-point gradience along the verb - noun continuum for -ing forms is, I believe, a more accurate model, so I prefer the cover term -ing form.

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form (obviously, the -ing form has to be nearer the verbal, participial, end of the spectrum for catenation of verbs to apply - see below). They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with more-nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs - although the 'present participle/gerund form' mysteriously suddenly narrows to the 'gerund form'. The Quirk umpteen-point gradience along the verb - noun continuum for -ing forms is, I believe, a more accurate model, so I prefer the cover term '-ing form'.

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

added 88 characters in body
Source Link
Edwin Ashworth
  • 87.2k
  • 12
  • 154
  • 272

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form (obviously, the -ing form has to be nearer the verbal, participial, end of the spectrum for catenation of verbs to apply - see below). They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with nounalmore-nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs - although the 'present participle/gerund form' mysteriously suddenly narrows to the 'gerund form'. The Quirk umpteen-point gradience along the verb - noun continuum for -ing forms is, I believe, a more accurate model, so I prefer the cover term -ing form.

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form. They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form (obviously, the -ing form has to be nearer the verbal, participial, end of the spectrum for catenation of verbs to apply - see below). They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with more-nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs - although the 'present participle/gerund form' mysteriously suddenly narrows to the 'gerund form'. The Quirk umpteen-point gradience along the verb - noun continuum for -ing forms is, I believe, a more accurate model, so I prefer the cover term -ing form.

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

added 88 characters in body
Source Link
Edwin Ashworth
  • 87.2k
  • 12
  • 154
  • 272

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form. They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form. They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

The problem is with the type of catenation patterns help governs.

Many verbs in English catenate (form allowed strings):

He sat reading.

He started to cry.

He helped wash up.

He helped to wash up.

He helped us wash up.

He helped us to wash up.

There are several patterns, and different patterns are allowed for different verbs.

"He tried to help me learning..." has a string of three catenated verbs, with an interposed object (me). The first catenation (He tried to help [me] ) is fine - tried catenates with a to-infinitive, as here, or an -ing form. They have slightly different meanings.

However, help normally catenates with a bare infinitive or to-infinitive, so "He tried to help me learn..." or "He tried to help me to learn..." would be used.

Help does catenate in one construction with an -ing form: I can't help loving you - but help here means avoid / give up. Help also appears in similar-looking constructions with nounal -ing forms: This drug is given to help breathing.

A good article is at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs

That's the grammar, but using the infinitives loses the progressive sense. A rewrite would be:

I was learning English - and he was trying to help me.

Or, if we do not wish to stress a continued duration of the attempt to help:

I was learning English - and he tried to help me.

added 116 characters in body
Source Link
Edwin Ashworth
  • 87.2k
  • 12
  • 154
  • 272
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added 116 characters in body
Source Link
Edwin Ashworth
  • 87.2k
  • 12
  • 154
  • 272
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Source Link
Edwin Ashworth
  • 87.2k
  • 12
  • 154
  • 272
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