Extraterrestrial life has so far been the stuff of science fiction, Yet NASA, the American space agency, is taking the idea so seriously that it is pondering how to dispose of its Galileo spacecraft, at present orbiting Jupiter, without harming possible alien lifeforms on one of Jupiter moons, Europa > NASA is worried that Galileo might blunder into Europa, contaminating it with earthly organisms. The best way to stop this happening the agency believes is to crash Galileo deliberately into Jupiter.
This passage suggests that NASA_____.
After help, we can use object + infinitive (with or without to).
| Can you help me (to) find my ring? (NOT | |
| Thank you so much for helping us (to) repair the car. | |
| Our main task is to help the company (to) become profitable. |
Help can also be followed directly by an infinitive without an object.
| Would you like to help pack? |
If you say that you cannot/can’t help doing something (especially in British English), you mean that you can’t stop yourself, even if you don’t want to do it.
| She’s a selfish woman, but somehow you can’t help liking her. | |
| Excuse me – I couldn’t help overhearing what you said. | |
| Sorry I broke the cup – I couldn’t help it. |
Can’t help can be followed by but + infinitive (without to), with the same meaning as can’t help verb + ing. This is common in American English.
| I can’t help but wonder what I should do next. |
Related Question
View MorePromotion
Download Our Mobile Apps
