Tip 18. Receipt or receiving? Noun or gerund (-ing)?
Which option completes this sentence AS CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE?
The fitness centre will send you a membership card within ten days of .................... the membership fee.
Wrong answer, try again!
Correct answer!
Comment:
Option B is short and simple (the KISS principle again!) There is no good reason to use anything else.
Option A is both abstract and very formal, so not a good choice. It does not say WHO will receive the fee (we can work it out from the context, but why should a reader work so hard?)
Option C is also grammatically correct, but it is complex and not necessary here. Another example of simplification:
"Payment must be made within 30 days of having signed the documents to avoid a late payment fee."
"You must pay within 30 days of signing the documents, or will be charged a late payment fee."
Option D is incorrect. When using 'the...of' only use the -ing (gerund) where there is no noun form of the verb, e.g. buying, swimming, building...
Wrong answer, try again!
Wrong answer, try again!
