To eat, to cook

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.
Is the second 'to' optional before the second verb?

''I like to eat and sometimes to cook.''

 

[GoesStation]

Not to me.

 

[jutfrank]

I find the whole sentence quite unpleasant, with or without the to. Why do you need to splice both statements together?

I like to eat.
I sometimes like to cook.

 

[Rachel Adams]

I find the whole sentence quite unpleasant, with or without the to. Why do you need to splice both statements together?

I like to eat.
I sometimes like to cook.

Just compared it to the same sentence in Russian. I wanted to make sure it sounded natural in English too. Maybe this is not the best example but I was more interested in finding out if it was possible to omit the second ''to'' when you have more than one verb in a sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not having two verbs in one sentence that makes a difference. In the original sentence, it's the inclusion of "sometimes" that makes it sound unnatural without "to".

1. I like to eat and cook. :tick:
2. I like to eat and to cook. :tick:

3. I like to eat and, sometimes, to cook. :tick:
4. I like to eat and, sometimes, cook. Not impossible but not as natural as #3.

I added commas around "sometimes" because it's extra information. I don't think everyone would do so.

Also, using the "to" infinitive of both verbs sounds odd to me. "I like eating and, sometimes, cooking" would be more likely in BrE.

 

[Yankee]

Hello.
Is the second 'to' optional before the second verb?

''I like to eat and sometimes to cook.''

Optional? Yes. But given the situation, I would omit the second "to". But I would be inclined to say, "......and sometimes I cook".

 

[jutfrank]

I would be inclined to say, "......and sometimes I cook".

I don't think that's what Rachel Adams means. She means I sometimes like to cook.

 

[Yankee]

I don't think that's what Rachel Adams means. She means I sometimes like to cook.

OK and if so, I would go with "...and sometimes I like to cook".

 

[Phaedrus]

''I like to eat and sometimes to cook.''

I think we could keep "and sometimes to cook" if we added always before "like to eat":

I always like to eat and sometimes to cook.

I understand "I like" to be elided between "sometimes" and "to cook": "I always like to eat and sometimes [strike]I like[/strike] to cook."