Korean Job Discussion Forums

[raewon]

I have no problem with the structure "spend time ~ ing" but I've seen many worksheets with "spend time in V~ing". It sounds incorrect, but I can't find anything on the net or in the books I have that says it is wrong.
Should I feel comfortable/confident with that "in" in that structure?

Thanks if you can me why it's correct .... or incorrect.

[lichtarbeiter]

[some waygug-in]

Of course it's wrong.

I can't think of a single sentence where the "in" would be considered right.


Oh wait, how much time have I spent in answering your question?


Not enough I'm afraid.



It's not a common structure, but it does appear at least in the case above.

I suppose

Hope that helps.

[raewon]

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry I forgot to give an example.

I spent a lot of time in practicing playing the piano.
She spends all her money in buying clothes.

some way-gug in got me - I agree that his/her example sounds fine to me. But I have no idea why that example is OK with "in" there.

The problem is that the structure is presented as [spend time (in) V-ing], which seems to indicate the "in" is always optional.

[lichtarbeiter]

So what we have here is a gerund, which functions as a noun, not a verb. Nouns can naturally follow prepositions, so in that aspect it would be grammatical.

So why would some gerunds be preceded by "in" in this context while others aren't? It would appear to be related to the lexical property of the gerund and to the meaning that you're trying to convey.

When you say "spend time in practicing the piano," it seems to have a connotation of something relatively important that you invest your time in, rather than something you simply do to pass the time. So it comes off sounding rather natural, whereas "spend time in sitting on my ass" comes off as less natural (but perhaps possible if the speaker is going for a more sarcastic tone).

An important thing to keep in mind is that linguistic forms are not exclusively motivated by grammatical constraints. Lexis (the inherent property of words) and semantics are also key factors in determining results.

[koreatimes]

Right or wrong, I would never say "spend time in ___". I would express it differently, "spend time ___".

[Gorf]

Maybe it works for the verb "mourn" but that's about it.