20

Is the phrase "I'm glad it helped" grammatically correct?

And if it is, does it express correctly that I am more than happy that I could help someone?

RegDwigнt
  • 97,231
Jupaol
  • 311
  • Yes, we understand that you are a native speaker of Spanish. That is entirely irrelevant, however, to what kind of questions belongs on which site. – RegDwigнt Jul 12 '12 at 10:27

3 Answers3

31

"I'm glad it helped" is grammatically correct. But it doesn't mean that you're glad you helped, it means you're glad that something helped. It might, from context, be clear that it was something you said, did, or gave them. But "I'm glad it helped" alone doesn't say that.

You can say "I'm glad I helped" or "I'm glad I was able to help" to indicate what you want. But you can't say "I'm glad it helped" unless it's clear what it is you are referring to -- some specific thing that helped.

David Schwartz
  • 10,162
  • 2
  • 36
  • 42
  • Thx for the explanation. What I'd like to know is how to formally express the same idea, for example when you are talking with your CEO, and ways to express the same idea less formal. – Jupaol Jul 12 '12 at 10:47
  • 1
    It really depends what the idea is. Perhaps you want "I'm glad I was able to help" or "I'm always happy to help". Less formally, you can even say, "Glad to be of help" or "Always glad to help". If you're already specifically talking about something you did that helped, you can say, "Glad it helped". – David Schwartz Jul 12 '12 at 10:51
  • @jupaol: I don't think there is a problem with your sentence being too informal. If you wanted to be as formal as possible, avoid the contraction (Use "I am" rather than "I'm"). – horatio Jul 12 '12 at 14:51
  • @David but if referring is obvious can i use I'm glade it helped or not? for example suppose i wrote an article here and somebody appreciated, then i want to say something as welcome. – QMaster Aug 08 '14 at 14:53
  • @DavidSchwartz what about "I'm glad I have helped"? I use this structure a lot and for a moment I doubted it. – Mahdi Tahsildari Jun 23 '18 at 07:31
5

I'm glad it helped is certainly grammatical, and it expresses the meaning you indicate. There are variations including, for example, I’m glad I was able to help. More briefly, you can say My pleasure.

Barrie England
  • 140,205
-4

This is very much comprehensible and commonly used, but it is not grammatically correct as the word "that" has been omitted. I know that it's pedantic but don't tell the guy that his sentence is absolutely correct. Of course, I would definitely advise a foreigner in England to use this phrase as it is polite and idiomatic.

JamesHH
  • 537
  • Uhhh, why is it ungrammatical? I'd rather say: There are adjectives that tolerate "that"-deletion pretty well, and adjectives that don’t. Common adjectives such as "glad" or "sad" sound fine without a "that": For example, "I’m glad you came." Link – Em1 Jul 12 '12 at 12:07
  • 2
    So are you telling us that the following sentence is ungrammatical? - 'I know it's pedantic but don't tell the guy his sentence is absolutely correct.' – Barrie England Jul 12 '12 at 12:07
  • Seriously, read the whole comment. I've said that I would recommend its use and that there is obviously nothing wrong with this sentence. However, it is not grammatically correct for the reason which I have already given. And why would you vote down before even hearing my reply? – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 12:47
  • Yes, it tolerates well "that" deletion, which is why it is fine in spoken English. Much of what is accepted in spoken English is ungrammatical. – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 12:48
  • 1
    And yes, my sentence was ungrammatical. I am not an advocate of pedantry, nor would I ever suggest that the OP's sentence is bad in any way. I was simply answering the question. – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 12:50
  • @JamesHH Don’t be absurd. – tchrist Jul 12 '12 at 12:51
  • And just because it occurs in a Wanted song doesn't make it correct lol – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 12:52
  • @tchrist what the heck is going on here? I have done everything I can to say that it is a good sentence but was just pointing out a rule that might be observed in formal English. Where is all this hostility coming from? I apologise for criticising previous answerers in my first comment but jeez... – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 12:54
  • Can you tell me where the reason is (that) you have already given? Or is "as the word that has been omitted" that reason? In my book it's just the cause not the reason. However, your statements in your comment are inconsistent. On the one hand you state that "there is obviously nothing wrong with this sentence" and in the next sentence you say "it is not grammatically correct". So, what? Is nothing wrong or is it ungrammatical? – Em1 Jul 12 '12 at 12:57
  • "was just pointing out a rule that might be observed in formal English" - Please confirm your statement with a link or whatever else to "point out a rule of formal English". You haven't really done that yet. – Em1 Jul 12 '12 at 12:59
  • OK. I think it is pretty clear where I stand but I'll say it again. The sentence contains a minor grammatical error. However, I did not wish to tell the OP to change the sentence in order to fix this error, as that would make the sentence sound less natural. I will rephrase: there is nothing wrong with using this sentence. I will reiterate: I do not think that it is worth sacrificing fluidity for the sake of perfect grammar. – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 13:02
  • 2
    @JamesHH The place where you’re being absurd is your false claim that dropping the that somehow renders an English sentence ungrammatical. It most certainly does no such thing. – tchrist Jul 12 '12 at 13:06
  • @EM1 I've looked in my dick of Modern English Usage which says that "that" is not omitted with adjectives (eg glad) but can be with certain verbs such as "believe", "presume", "suppose", "think". As I have said at the end of pretty much all my comments, I intended no criticism of the sentence in speech, simply to point this out. – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 13:10
  • there's nothing more i can say on this question, so im not gonna defend my POV any more. im not here to argue, only to answer some questions as best I can. It's a very MINOR error; STILL USE THE SENTENCE!!! – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 13:15
  • @JamesHH There is no grammatical error whatsoever, whether minor or otherwise. Your answer is completely incorrect. And please spare us from writing about your d*** here; we really could not care less about it. – tchrist Jul 12 '12 at 13:37
  • 1
    I belive what my dick f****** tells me. Let's just forget about this post. It can be an interesting discussion for others to read. – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 13:39
  • 1
    With all due respect, "I belive what my dick f****** tells me" is not a rule of formal English that I am familiar with. The actual rules are outlined elsewhere on this site and clearly contradict what you say. – RegDwigнt Jul 12 '12 at 14:14
  • Where are the rules outlined? This is just a link to other questions. As far as I know, there are no official written rules of English grammar and the opinions on this site certainly do not constitute them. I am sure I will be reminded of my use of the word "rule" earlier which was perhaps a poor choice – JamesHH Jul 12 '12 at 14:41