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admits to being

English translation: admits to being = correct

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:admits to being
Selected answer:admits to being = correct

20:45 Nov 12, 2014
    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2014-11-15 22:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)


English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Education / Pedagogy / grammar
English term or phrase: admits to being
Dear all,

I'm translating a short text and I came across the sentence below which I think
is wrong in English. I wouldn't have used admit to + gerund, I go for ADMIT + TO infitintive
May be Im wrong?
Could you please help me out. Thanks in advance

"At dinner parties, no one admits to being a tourist. They are travellers..."

my translation even if I don't agree with the English version:

En las cenas nadie admite ser un turista.
nhorma
Local time: 07:33
admits to being = correct
Explanation:
Although I know that's true I needed references: the Google top ref for "verb pattern admit" came up with this: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/america...

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-11-12 21:49:12 GMT)
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Well, that is a pretty poor dictionary entry - surprising to say the least. It leaves out "admit to + -ing". But it doesn't say that "admit to + inf" is correct. To be honest, you're better off with a learner's dictionary such as the one I linked to. They give all the various verb patterns in full.
Selected response from:

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 06:33
Grading comment
Thanks for your help
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +8admits to being = correct
Sheila Wilson


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +8
admits to being = correct


Explanation:
Although I know that's true I needed references: the Google top ref for "verb pattern admit" came up with this: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/america...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2014-11-12 21:49:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Well, that is a pretty poor dictionary entry - surprising to say the least. It leaves out "admit to + -ing". But it doesn't say that "admit to + inf" is correct. To be honest, you're better off with a learner's dictionary such as the one I linked to. They give all the various verb patterns in full.

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 06:33
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Thanks for your help
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you very much Sheila. I chcked Oxford http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/admit

Asker: Thank you very much Sheila. You were very helpful. Just to add another poor dictionary: Cambridge. I checked it as well :-), that's why I got confused.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: I think maybe Asker is getting confused because it isn't a gerund! AFAIK, it is a gerundive?
12 mins
  -> Thanks - no idea what it's called other than the "-ing form" of the verb
agree  Jennifer Levey: Yeah! - and I hate to say it ... but 'admit to be' is a typical 'non-native error'.
21 mins
  -> Thanks
agree  Armorel Young: It's perfectly correct, and indeed I can't think of any other construction that could be used after "admits to" in this sense.
26 mins
  -> Thanks
agree  Veronika McLaren: It's a gerund alright - verb used as noun, object of preposition "to"
1 hr
  -> Thanks
agree  Charles Davis: Yes, it is a gerund. I think you're rather hard on the Oxford entry. It defines this use of "admit" quite correctly in 1.1. Users are expected to know that if "admit to" cannot be followed by an infinitive, because what follows "to" must be a noun.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks - well, it's certainly good enough for me :). The learners' version is much better for non-native speakers though. They are the only type I'm used to for grammar reference (as an EFL trainer).
agree  Jean-Claude Gouin
9 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Arabic & More
11 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Maria Fokin
12 hrs
  -> Thanks
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