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I'm trying to edit a speech and found a commonly used phase which I'm not sure if I should amend it or not. The sentence goes like this:

[a subject] is committed to supporting [a project].

Should I amend it to the following?

[a subject] is committed to support [a project].

Is the original version fine? Does the meaning change if I amend it?

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    Off topic (writing advice request).
    – MetaEd
    Commented May 10, 2013 at 11:37
  • @MετάEd The Q seems to be <verb> vs <-ing form> -- that should be okay on ELU I suppose.
    – Kris
    Commented May 10, 2013 at 11:56
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    It seems you need a noun/gerund/<-ing form> (therefore, supporting) in the example sentence, not a verb (support). Though support can also be a verb, that sense cannot be invoked in the example sentence. Let's wait and see what the other learned members have to say.
    – Kris
    Commented May 10, 2013 at 11:59
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    Apparent duplicate of Does "feel committed to" require an infinitive or gerund complement?.
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented May 10, 2013 at 23:15

2 Answers 2

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'Supporting' suggests the commitment is ongoing and long-term. 'Support' suggests the support is a one-time, temporary thing. I would go with supporting.

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  • That's about what the sentence might mean in each case, not the grammar.
    – Kris
    Commented May 10, 2013 at 12:01
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"Supporting" for the reasons given in Kris's comment.

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  • Welcome, Trevor! There is no need to add another answer that agrees with the existing ones, unless you have additional information or references. If you agree with another answer, you can upvote it and comment underneath it. You can also upvote comments that you agree with.
    – aedia λ
    Commented May 11, 2013 at 0:45
  • @aedia Apologies if I've got the etiquette wrong: I'm a little confused about the difference between Answers & Comments. For example, there is a menu link for 'Unanswered' questions, but on looking through those, it appears that several of them have actually been answered in the Comments but (I assume) still appear in the list because there is no 'actual' answer under 'Answers'. Also I thought that some users might read ONLY the 'Answers' and not the comments: as I thought that this answer was more apposite than the only actual 'Answer' then listed, I wanted to 'promote' it. Contd...
    – TrevorD
    Commented May 11, 2013 at 13:53
  • @aedia ...Cont'd. I realise that this is probably not the right place for this discussion, but am not yet familiar enough with the site to know where is (and haven't yet has a chance to read all the FAQs). So please move it elsewhere if appropriate and let me know where. Thanks.
    – TrevorD
    Commented May 11, 2013 at 13:56
  • Not seen you around in ages. Let us know everything is O.K.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Dec 13, 2013 at 23:29

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