The difference in the usage of to for to for only takes only 15 seconds, so you can master it thorou

Mondo Health Updated on 2024-01-28

In English,"to do"with"doing"are two different verb forms. The main difference between them is that "to do" indicates that the action is in progress or about to happen, while "doing" indicates the completed state of the action. The differences in the usage of these two words are detailed below:

1. Basic Meaning

1.Indicates an action in progress:"to be doing"

It can be used when we want to express that an action is in progress"to be doing"this structure instead"be to do"。For example:

i am studying for my exam.(I'm Xi for an exam.) )

In this sentence, we used:"am studying"(I'm Xi) to indicate ongoing behavior. This usage is often used in spoken language, emphasizing the subjective feelings of the speaker.

2.Indicates the action that has been completed:"doing"

This is needed when we want to describe that an action has been completed"doing"This structure too. For example:

she is reading a book.(She's reading a book.) )

In this sentence, we used:"is reading"(She's reading) to indicate what has been done. This usage is usually used in written language and is more formal and objective.

2. The use of temporal adverbial clauses

1. “to be done”

When we need to describe something that will be done in the future, we can use the phrase "to be done". For example:

by next week, we will h**e finished all the work.(We'll have all the work done by next week.) )

In this example, we used "will h**e finished" to indicate a future state of completion.

It's important to note that "to be done" can't be used in conjunction with "by + time period", as this will change to a "be going to do" structure, indicating that the planned event has not happened yet. Therefore, when expressing the future perfect tense, we should choose the structure "will h**e done".

Alternatively, "to be done" can also be used to indicate the past perfect tense, i.e. an event that has happened in the past and has ended. At this point, we can use the phrase "had been done". For example:

by last night, we had already eaten all the food.(We've eaten all the food by last night.) )

3. Passive voice at completion

1. “doing his homework” vs. “his homework being done”

When we need to describe that an action was performed by someone and not by an object, we can use the passive voice of completion. For example:

his homework is being done by his mother.(His homework is being done by his mom.) )

In this sentence, we use "being done" to indicate that it doesn't matter who performs the action (it can be a person or an object), what matters is that the action itself has been completed.

2. “h**ing done her hair” vs. “her hair h**ing been done”

When we need to describe that an action is performed by an object, without involving a specific person or object, we can use the passive voice of completion. For example: "She has washed her hair."(She washes her hair.) )”

4. Passive voice in the ongoing tense

1. “to be doing something” vs. “something being done”

When we need to describe that an action is in progress, we can use the structure "to be doing something". However, if we want to describe an action in progress and an object is involved, then we should use the structure "someone something being done". For example:

the car is driving down the street.(Cars are moving down the street.) )

Here, we use "is driving" to describe the behavior of the car, as well as the state in which the car is driving.

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