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Mixing simple present and a present participle in the same phrase?

English Language & Usage Asked on April 19, 2021

I’m writing an explanation of my duties in a job that I currently have, and I came up with the bullet:

Organize large groups of over 200 people, directing them to activities and allocating seating in theaters

Is it wrong to put both the simple present and the present participle in one phrase like this? I’m trying to say that part of my duty in organizing large groups is to direct them to activities and to theater seats. Should I be mixing organize with directing / allocating? It doesn’t quite seem right to use direct / allocate here though. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

edit: I feel that I should be mixing simple present with present participles here because I’m not trying to say that I have 3 duties, but rather that one duty (organizing) includes 2 separate aspects (directing / allocating). I realized that I am trying to say “I organize large groups of over 200 people, which includes directing them to activities and allocating seating in theaters.” However, is it okay to leave out the “which includes” part here because it is implied by the present participle?

One Answer

I think it's correct. The omission in the example you gave is the preposition 'by' (which refers to the means by which you organise people). And 'by' as a preposition takes a gerund as a complement.

Consider:
I want to organise large groups of people by directing them to activities and allocating seating. :)

Answered by Lurosa83 on April 19, 2021

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