Is it impossible to learn swimming without entering the water?

[Ahmadov]

Dear teachers,

In private correspondence with Tamara, I got her permission to ask the following question to you:

i) Should we use article before "water" in this sentence: "It is impossible to learn swimming without entering the water"?

ii) Do you think that saying "It is impossible to learn how to swim without entering the water" can be an alternative to the sentence above?

Thanks in advance.
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Learning is a sacred engagement.

[Alan]

Hi,

Without the article the word 'water' is too general. You need the article in this sentence because it means the water you are going to swim in.

A
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English as a Second Language
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[Ahmadov]

Thanks Alan,

What about the second question? Is "It is impossible to learn how to swim without entering the water" an alternative to the original sentence?
_________________
Learning is a sacred engagement.

[Alan]

Hi,

Yes, the second 'how to' sentence means the same.

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