Help + bare infinitive vs. help + to-infinitive

[Tamara]

Hi

Another try (I know, I already asked the similar question before)...

Could you word the general difference in use help + bare infinitive and help + to-infinitive?

'Can you help me put together a story about adoption?'
'One way to help put your point across is… '
'Behavioural therapy can help to put sleep problems to rest ...'

Sometimes to does seem just optional, sometimes... it definitely doesn't. :)
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[Pamela]

Hi Tamara
That is my grain of salt: :)
Yes, the verb help can be followed by to-infinitive or bare infinitive, there is no difference in meaning. But using help with bare infinitive sounds more informal.

[Yankee]

.
To my American ear, using 'help' with a 'to-infinitive' simply sounds British rather than more formal. 8)
.
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[Alan]

Hi Tamara,

Perhaps 'to' is more common with a preceding object.

A
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You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Tamara]

Hi

Thanks for your responses.

[Pamela]

Anyway, I think that with a preceding object both variants are acceptable
Ex. Can somebody help me (to) move this table?

[Yankee]

Hi Pamela

I'd definitely expect "Can somebody help me move this table?" from an American mouth. :D
.
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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Alan]

Hi,

My English mouth would not utter any negative response to that.

A
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms

[Pamela]

Hi Alan and Amy
I’ve never met the bare-infinitive used after the verbs of sense perception given in present tense. Vice versa, all the examples in my books and even in the Internet are given with these verbs in past tense

Ex. In a few minutes they heard him ascend the ladder to his own room

Can I say:

Ex. I hear my mother say...(personally, I don't like this one)

Or –ing form is more preferable

[Yankee]

Hi Pamela

There's nothing wrong with "I hear my mother say...", but with the bare infinitive in the simple present tense it wouldn't be used to talk about a single instance:
"I often hear my mother say a little prayer just before she gets in an elevator." :lol:

The difference between the infinitive and the -ing form is pretty much the usual difference: looking at something as a complete act vs an activity. So, without any other context, I would interpret "I hear my mother saying a prayer" as something happening now (i.e. a single instance, during the activity).

Amy
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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Pamela]

Hi Amy
Thanks for your brilliant explanation! I became confused when I found no present form of the verbs to feel, to hear…in the examples, though I was cognizant of the difference between the Infinitive and -ing form, nevertheless I called into question this usage of the bare infinitive :oops:

[Tdbostick]

I've read these comments and haven't seen a satisfactory answer.

First, I can't think of any instance in either British or American English where help plus to plus infinitive is necessary. It sounds clumsy, and the version with a bare infinitive is invariably clear and understandable in every case.

Examples (infinitives are boldfaced):
I am hopefully helping you understand why the 'to' is never necessary.
Help make this forum better by learning English grammar rules.
John helped Sally carry the suitcase up the hill.
I'll help you do your homework tomorrow.

Why add 'to' to these perfectly understandable sentences?

Second, the difference between using the bare infinitive or a gerund depends on the frequency of the 'action' being 'heard.' Albeit they're both grammatically correct, they have slightly different meanings!

Examples with 'translations' here:

"I often hear my mother say a little prayer just before she gets in an elevator."
She says a prayer frequently - every time she gets in an elevator, which seems to happen a lot. This is a general thing my mother does and I'm not specifying any particular instance.

"I hear my mother saying a little prayer just before she gets in an elevator."
This indicates that right now the narrator is hearing his mother say a prayer before getting onto an elevator. She may or may not do this on a frequent basis, but as of this moment, she is saying a prayer.

Adding the adverb 'often' to the second sentence is allowable, but it still doesn't detract from the fact that the narrator is hearing his mother at this very instant saying a prayer.

Hopefully this further clarifies things.