Well what exactly is the skin –deep difference between for growing and to grow?
It is clear that ‘
to grow’ is an infinitive that is used to do something, or that is used to achieve some purpose. '
For' in for growing is used as a preposition, which has to be followed by either a noun/pronoun, or noun phrase/pronoun phrase.
1. for growing – You can use
growing after for if you meant to use
growing as a gerund.
2. for growing trees; growing here can be ambiguous; it can either be a gerund or an adjective modifying trees.
3. for trees to grow; the prepositional
for is ok because a noun phrase’
trees to grow” follows.
and
4. to grow trees. : simple –
to grow brings out the purpose ‘ to grow’ trees.
Quote:
The strand fills with water during the rainy season that the peat then holds and keeps it humid, all of which creates conditions enabling trees to grow.
A. enabling trees to grow. Though grammatically correct ,
a participial ‘conditions enabling’ is not as sharp as a relative clause such as ‘conditions that enable’ as in D. A razor thin difference indeed.
B. for the trees to grow. grammatically quite correct.
C. for growing trees. : creates conditions for growing trees. The purpose ‘to enable trees to grow’ is lost.
D. that enable the trees to grow.: to the point and correctly points out that the conditions enable the trees to grow.
E. that the trees can grow.: Change of intention
Except C and E, which blatantly change the meaning, A, B and D are grammatically correct but with insignificant differences. B is indeed most concise.
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