Dec 14 2007
One “To” Too Many
What’s wrong with the following sentence?
The new product will help parents to monitor their children on the playground.
Actually, nothing is terribly wrong with it. But it contains an annoying flaw. Did you catch it? If you didn’t, read the next sentence and pay attention to what has changed.
The new product will help parents monitor their children on the playground.
Sounds better, right? Why? Because the “to” before “monitor” is gone. It wasn’t necessary. It slowed the sentence down and made it sound stilted.
Don’t get me wrong. “To” is a wonderful little preposition we couldn’t communicate without. But it is sometimes used where it isn’t needed. Remember, keeping your writing concise is crucial. Even one diminutive “to” too many can bog things down.
