Teo Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
spend [time or money] on/in doing sth
1. He spends a lot of time entertaining friends.
2. He spends a lot of time on entertaining friends.
3. He spends a lot of time in entertaining friends.
#1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable?
2. He spends a lot of time on entertaining friends.
3. He spends a lot of time in entertaining friends.
#1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable?
Top answer
Teo 1. He spends a lot of time entertaining friends. 2.
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Teo1. He spends a lot of time entertaining friends.2 and 3 do not sound natural to me. You might be able to find a few examples on the Internet but I doubt they are right. Spend time
2. He spends a lot of time on entertaining friends.
3. He spends a lot of time in entertaining friends.
#1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable?
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No, but [spend time on + NP] is possible (e.g. 'spend time on homework') where the NP is not a gerund with verbal force.
http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?p=337312#337312
http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?p=337312#337312
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Hi, TEO,
What is NP? I googled it for grammar and thousands of refrences come up. They all assume, as you do, that we know what it is!
Thanks for your reply.
What is NP? I googled it for grammar and thousands of refrences come up. They all assume, as you do, that we know what it is!
Thanks for your reply.
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AnonymousHi, TEO,Hi Anon,
What is NP? I googled it for grammar and thousands of refrences come up. They all assume, as you do, that we know what it is!
Thanks for your reply.
NP = noun phrase. What Teo answers to his own question is that spend time on + noun phrase is an acceptable construct, as long as the noun
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