Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Prohibits...to be or from being?

When using the word prohibits... which is correct?

...which prohibits fences 4 ft in height from being erected ... or ...which prohibits fences 4 ft in height to be erected

...which prohibits any fence from being constructed... or ...which prohibits any fence to be constructed

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See if this helps:

I have a broken leg, which prohibits me from running. (Yes, I would substitute "prevents" for "prohibits" but the analogy is sound.)

In California, state law prohibits you from using your cell phone while driving.
or
In California, state law prohibits you to use your cell phone while driving.

I would argue the first use is less unwieldy, despite the successive gerunds ("using" and "driving").

Steve1 Dec-03-2009

3 votes   Permalink   Report Abuse

In general, it's "...prohibits you from..." and "...allows you to..." Similarly, it would be "...stops/bans/keeps you from..." and "...permits you to...", but simply "...lets you (run, eat, whatever, verb without preceding 'to')..." I would suggest that in the above post, "In California, state law prohibits you TO USE [emphasis mine] your cell phone while driving." is incorrect.

porsche Dec-03-2009

4 votes   Permalink   Report Abuse

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