Re: Translation Exercise (Adult Content)

David Peterson scripsit:

> << >> Some wives have hired us to follow their husbands around
> >> and catch them in the act of infidelity. Rather than to
> >> confront them directly we have been given permission to
> >> post the footage on this site for the world to see.>>
>
> Just to verify, the second sentence *is* ungrammatical, right?   "Rather
> than *to* confront..."?   Should be "Rather than confront...", right?
That's the way I read it:  "than" can be followed by naked infinitive
"confront" or gerund "confronting", but not decorated infinitive "to
confront".  But there are sentences where "to" seems mandatory:
the proverb "It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive", e.g.
where the gerund form is "Travelling hopefully is better than arriving".

--
"There is no real going back.  Though I         John Cowan
may come to the Shire, it will not seem         jcowan@reutershealth.com
the same; for I shall not be the same.          http://www.reutershealth.com
I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth,      http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
and a long burden.  Where shall I find rest?"           --Frodo