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Can anyone explain me why we sometimes have TO in cleft sentences in the second part of the sentence and sometimes don't?

*E.g.

  • What I'd really love to do is Ø go hang gliding once in my life.
  • What she wishes she had done is Ø find a job nearer home.
  • All I've ever wanted to do is TO work with endangered species.*
Edwin Ashworth
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dilek22
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    I don't understand why you seem to imply that the alternatives would be incorrect: "What I'd really love to do is TO go hang gliding once in my life." "What she wishes she had done is TO have found a job nearer home." "All I've ever wanted to do is X work with endangered species." – MarcInManhattan Dec 06 '21 at 13:53
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    Your third example does not have a cleft structure. It is two noun phrases linked by "is". Those noun phrases may be swapped, but there is no cleaving or joining involved. Cf. All you need is love <---> Love is all you need. – Rosie F Dec 06 '21 at 14:14
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    There is, mostly, no why in syntax, only what is or is not admissible. Exceptions and parallel constructions abound. – DW256 Dec 06 '21 at 14:28
  • Thank you so much! No forum could provide an answer so quickly! As I see it now: we can either use or omit TO in the second part of cleft sentences, it's just the matter of choice. This question has been bothering me for such a long time,I'm finally relieved! – dilek22 Dec 06 '21 at 18:44
  • That's not the whole story. Some verbs resist/bar to-deletion: 'What they are really trying to accomplish is to deny any coverage to any woman who gets an abortion ...'. // 'I think the best thing I can hope to achieve is to educate, or make aware, as many people as possible on how the little things they do every day really do affect our environment.' [Aaron Peirsol; Picture Quotes (the first 'to', I'd say, cannot be deleted, but covers 'make aware'.) – Edwin Ashworth Dec 07 '21 at 12:58
  • ... Note that switching 'accomplish' or 'achieve' to 'do' makes the to-deleted version sound far more acceptable. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 07 '21 at 13:00

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