Which of these sentences is correct:
(a) They began to write and to read.
(b) They began to write and read.
I wonder if sentence (b) is right. If not, why not? Is
there another way of saying sentence (a)?
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Both sentence (a) and sentence (b) are correct. You probably hear more
sentences like sentence (b) than sentence (a). Sentence (b) is very
frequent in conversation.
When two verbs with the same subject are connected by and, we
say that the verbs are parallel. It is not necessary to repeat the infinitive
marker to with these parallel verbs.
It抯 also not necessary to repeat an auxiliary when the subject of
both verbs is the same, and the verbs are connected by and. These
sentences are parallel, too:
| (c) |
Barbara is driving her car and (is) talking on
her cell phone at the same time.
|
| (d) |
We抣l go to Colorado and (will) visit my parents.
|
| (e) |
I抦 planning to go to the mall and (to) find some
new jeans. |