ALLOW vs. LET

Good morning. As you know, many times there are words that have a similar meaning in English, but the grammar of the words is different. This often happens with verbs. For example, there are verbs that are followed by an infinitive form and other verbs that are followed by a gerund (-ing) form. When we learn these words, we must learn the structure or grammar of the words in order to use them correctly. Today's words are a good example of this. Today's words are: To allow someone to do something and To let someone do something They mean: to permit; to give someone permission to do something. Notice that with the verb allow, after the object someone, we use TO infinitive verb. However, when we use the verb let, after the object someone, we use an infinitive verb WITHOUT the word TO, sometimes called the bare infinitive. The words basically have the same meaning, but they have a grammatical difference. Compare these examples: Example 1: Do your parents allow you to stay out late at the weekend? Do your parents let you stay out late at the weekend? Example 2: When I was at school, the teachers didn't allow us to chew gum in the classroom. When I was at school, the teachers didn't let us chew gum in the classroom. Example 3: She doesn't allow anyone to smoke in her home. She doesn't let anyone smoke in her home. We call this structure of a verb the Verb Pattern. When you learn one of these verbs, it's important to learn its form or pattern. We will look at other Verb Patterns in future Daily Vitamins. If you have any questions about these verbs, please don't hesitate to contact me. Enjoy the rest of your day!