Sasha
Professional Teacher
I can't bear waiting in queues. Which is correct? I can't bear waiting in queues. or I can't bear to wait in queues. I can't afford to buy a Ford. or I can't afford buying a Ford. After CAN'T + avoid/stand/bear/help do I have to use gerund or infinitive? I always come across can't stand + gerund. What about CAN'T + avoid/bear/help/wait/afford/face?
May 18, 2020 12:06 PM
Answers · 9
1
The correct variants, as Bron said in her answer are: ”I can't bear waiting in queues” “I can’t afford to buy a ford” This is not because of the verb "to bear" or the verb "to afford" requiring any particular form after them. It entirely depends on what it is that follows. For example, these are also correct: I can't bear to wait a second longer. I can't afford eating out every day. If the object is a process, or something that happens regularly, we're more likely to use the gerund. For something which is a single action, or a single moment, or a change in state, we're more likely to use the infinitive. A bit similar to your imperfective and perfective verbal aspects in Russian, but in English the usage is a lot more fluid (there isn't a huge difference between the two usages, you will see many cases where both variants are correct)
May 18, 2020
1
”I can't bear waiting in queues” is correct “I can’t afford to buy a ford” is correct Usually after CAN'T + avoid/stand/bear/help the gerund is used. With CAN'T + avoid/bear/help/wait/afford/face, the following verb will most often be in gerund form, with the odd exception. Hope this helps, feel free to message if you have any other questions :)
May 18, 2020
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