staying in a job for such a long time

[I'm a Chubby Baby]

Hello, everyone. I have two questions. Are both 'stay' and 'staying' correct.
I haven't mentioned how long I stayed in that job. Therefore I shouldn't use 'such a log time' because 'such' refers to the time I have mentioned? Thanks!


The biggest mistake I've made so far was stay/staying in a job that I hated so much for [STRIKE]such a long time/[/STRIKE]a very long period of time.

 

[emsr2d2]

The present perfect (I've made) should be followed by the present (is). If you want to use "was", use the simple past at the start.

The biggest mistake I've made is ...
The biggest mistake I made was ...

Whichever one you choose should be followed by "staying" or "to stay". You can't use the bare infinitive, "stay".

I don't understand your reasoning for not using "for such a long time". It fits perfectly and is more natural than "for a very long period of time".

 

[I'm a Chubby Baby]

Whichever one you choose should be followed by "staying" or "to stay". You can't use the bare infinitive, "stay".

Thanks, emsr2d2.
I always don't know when to use 'doing/to do' and when 'do'.
For example, this quote from the New York Times uses 'tell' instead of 'telling'. That's why I thought maybe I should use 'stay'.
All they did was tell stories.

 

[I'm a Chubby Baby]

Is there a person that can tell me which is better? Many thanks!

[FONT=&quot]The biggest risk I've ever taken is quitting the stable, well-paid job I hated, and going on to pursue my true passion.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The biggest risk I've ever taken is to quit the stable, well-paid job I hated, and go on to pursue my true passion.[/FONT]

 

[jutfrank]

I suggest you use quitting and going.