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English: infinitive is needed to be used in relative clause equivalents with an ordinal.?
Could you tell me what kinds of verbs are just like “develop”, while used in relative clause equivalents, and if the antecedent includes an ordinal (the first, the last, etc.), then infinitive is needed – not gerund (present participle).
The following is what I learned from Internet (English exam paper).
Igor Sikorsky was the first person to develop a modern helicopter. (O)
= Igor Sikorsky was the first person who developed a modern helicopter. (O)
Igor Sikorsky was the FIRST person DEVELOPING a modern helicopter. (X)
And it is indeed, while I typed “the first person to develop a” into Google Search box, the result is 118, while I typed “The first person developing a”, the result is 0.
But, there is no very strong preference for one or the other on the following searches:
1.“The first person to wear” -- 165.
“the first person wearing” --- 123.
2.“The first person coming here” – 10
“The first person to come here” – 56
I’m an English learner, my English is just so so and that is why I am still puzzled.
Your answer, explanations will be much appreciated.
Thank you.
1 個解答
- GypsyfishLv 73 年前最佳解答
It has nothing to do with ordinal numbers. The -ing form normally implies an ongoing process, not a single event.
John is the only person in class wearing a hoodie. (ongoing)
Last week, John was the only person in class who wore a cap. (past event)
She is among the people coming to the party tomorrow (future)
She was among the few people who came to the party last week (past.
You can't really learn English by learning a bunch of grammar jargon and rules anyway. Reading is the best way to increase your fluency and accuracy.
