- I aim to marry her.
- I aim at marrying her.
Are these sentences OK?
Do they mean the same?
Thanks.
No, the second is incorrect.
Note that ‘aim to marry’ and ‘aim at marrying’ are two different verb patterns. While the former is infinitival, the latter gerundial. We use infinitival pattern to refer to specific things and the gerundial to general things. In your second sentence ‘her’ is not general, for you have a particular person in mind. At the same time if you say ‘I aim at marrying a beautiful girl’, it should be acceptable. However, I find AmE seems to prefer the infinitival on both the occasions. Let’s watch if there are differing views.
Your problem is you are applying a rule too rigidly. ‘I aim at marrying a beautiful girl’ is awkward at best.
‘I aim to marry a beautiful girl’ is natural and correct.
This, as it is, is awkward, rubbish and wrong for more than one reason. Why others hopelessly struggle to impose their own unreasonable practice, born out of sheer ignorance and utter impatience, on serious global learners needs to be deplored and condemned with the contempt it deserves. It goes without saying that everyone has the right to apply a rule as rigidly as they wish. It is for others to accept or reject it as they like.
I inadvertently included a comma which I have now removed. That slip of a finger is the only reason it was incorrect.
Please do carry on and explain why you think there are other errors in the sentence… if you can.
Oh dear, did you get out of bed on the wrong side this morning?
Please continue to reject whatever you like - it won’t stop you being wrong from time to time and it won’t stop me pointing out your mistakes to others, to allow them to make up their own minds.
No matter what archaic rule you are trying to cling to – ‘I’m aiming at marrying her’ sounds weird and is obviously a phrase created by a non-native speaker.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEFL listening discussions: What will the student try to do with his next essay?[YSaerTTEW443543]
It may or may not be. I do not admit of that sentence, either. But I explained why that usage in the given context was not acceptable. Please note that since ‘aim’ can take the preposition ‘at’, only a gerund is possible after it. We need to tell the users where we should use a gerundial construction in such cases. Simply saying that it is archaic or based on rigidity does not do any justice to the question under reference. So, I hope you will try to enlighten, at least, me.
Now, on the issue of ‘non-native’ let me say this. Once it was said on this forum that ‘pin-drop silence’ is not good English. I agree to it. But, surprisingly, while reading the famous book ‘I am Malala’ co-authored by Christina Lamb (one of the world’s leading correspondents, educated at Oxford and Harvard, author of many award-winning books and recipient of Britain’s Foreign Correspondent of the Year for five times, and now living in London) I found in the 15th chapter (page 176) this sentence: Everything was silent, pin-drop silent. What do you have to say?
‘I do not admit to that sentence’ doesn’t make any sense, but I presume you are trying to say that you have not agreed the sentence is correct. That is blatantly untrue from your message above, where your words were “if you say ‘I aim at marrying a beautiful girl’, it should be acceptable” so I assume you have been persuaded to change your mind.
Only a gerund is possible after it if ‘at’ is appropriate. In this case (aim at + marry), it isn’t. That is why your ‘rule’ does not work. It does not consider the context.
You have just fallen into exactly the same mistake again by rigidly applying a rule without giving it adequate consideration!
‘Pin-drop silence’ is NOT ‘pin-drop silent’.
One should open one’s eyes and see the difference between what Torsten quoted and what I said. So, it follows that the context will say whether pin-drop silence is correct. What a horrifying somersault!
Indeed!
I suggest you remove the blinkers.
Even a child won’t disagree.
This unfortunate occasion may be recalled.
Now, whether it is ‘aim to marry’ or ‘aim at marrying’, I’d say it is not a good collocation when there are words like propose/plan/like/love/am determined etc. The poster most likely wanted to know the difference between the infinitival and the gerundial uses. I took the same sentence and modified it as ‘I aim at marrying a beautiful girl’ meaning ‘any beautiful girl’, not ‘her’ (particular girl). Torsten’s example is the original. He had not copied my modified sentence.
I believe any person who refutes a statement has an obligation to explain why it is not so, and when/where it can be used. This is expected by most of the users. In this connexion a look at the following should convince anyone since it is how the difference is brought out.
I’m afraid of touching snakes. (general tendency of the speaker)
I’m not afraid to touch this snake. (particular tendency of the speaker relating to that snake alone)
If this is not acceptable, it becomes necessary to distinguish between ‘I’m afraid of touching snakes’ and ‘I’m afraid to touch snakes’.
Further, it was not ‘admit to’, but ‘admit of’ which should have been ‘approve of’. An error was pointed out with another error. Great eagle’s eye, but missing miserably!
To quote a contemporary friend of mine, why quarrel in the evening of this transient life? But, let there not be blinkers that are opaque and irremovable at all!
You appear to be determined to tie yourself up in knots. If that is your belief, then perhaps you should answer my question in #6. After all, you stated there were numerous reasons why a sentence I supplied was incorrect, but have not explained why.
Possibly it’s just as well that I disagree with your belief. My view is that there is no obligation on anyone to point out anything further than they have the time or inclination to do. “I aim at marrying…” will still be incorrect while ‘I aim to marry…’ is correct.
No more time to waste.
As expected.
ss