to-infinitive+infinitive+pronoun (e.g., to Help Keep You)?
I found the sentence of "to Help Keep You Safe and Secure" in a text and got confused. If I were to write it, I would use keep after pronoun, as "to Help You Keep Safe and Secure". Can anyone explain why the first format "to verb+verb+pronoun" is correct?
Thanks
Solution 1:
First, it is worthwhile to understand that
(a) “to help keep you secure” is a closely synonymous with “to assist your security”
(b) “to help you keep secure” is a closely synonymous with “to assist you in keeping yourself secure.”
I found the sentence: "to help keep you safe and secure "
That is not a sentence… You need to add to it:
“We have fitted stronger locks to the door to help keep you safe and secure
In full, this is
- “We have fitted stronger locks to the door in order to help keep you safe and secure.
In this, (i) keep is a bare infinitive and (ii) “you” is the object of “keep” and (iii) “safe and secure” is a compound adjective and the complement of “keep.”
The meaning thus emphasises that our fitting the locks is keeping you safe and secure.
Your alternative thus becomes
- “We have fitted stronger locks to the door in order to help you keep safe and secure"
In this, keep is a bare infinitive and “you” is the object of “help” and “safe and secure” is a compound adjective and the complement of “keep.”
The meaning thus emphasises that our fitting the locks is helping you to be safe and secure.