Help to or without to?

Posted by R. Berg on March 25, 2003

In Reply to: Help to or without to? posted by EE on March 25, 2003

: In British English, there is always "to" between help and the verb immediately after it e.g. I would help you to find him. However, it seems to me that in American English, in most cases when a verb is needed after help, a bare infinitive/infinitive with to is used, e.g. I would help you find him. Nonetheless, sometimes I do see North Americans use "to" after help like the British. What is the rule in North America, if any? Thanks.

If there's a rule, it isn't widely publicized. More formal (academic) writing is likely to use "to" after "help," but I haven't seen a statement that omitting "to" is wrong. A grammar site (www.voy.com) says "help" MAY be followed by "to."

• Help to or without to? Bob 03/25/03