helping us to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "helping us to" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when describing assistance or support in achieving a goal or completing a task. Example: "The new software is helping us to streamline our workflow and improve efficiency."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

We thank Martin Slawski for helping us to use CMA and Christoph Bernau for critical comments.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

"I am confident that today's event will be useful in helping us to plan for that eventuality".

BBC

This program is helping us to become helpful members of society.

Vice

And, finally, is routine use of ROTEM cost-effective in helping us to decrease the incidence of postoperative thromboembolic complications?

Critical Care

Now they're helping us to catch up.

Independent

Your strength is helping us to keep supporting him".

Independent

Samson [a PATH official] helping us to retaliate.

The New Yorker

Truman's reforms are still helping us to fight terror abroad.

The New York Times

Thank you for helping us to make this story.

The Guardian

Does it succeed in helping us to find Meiji?

The New York Times - Books

Like them, he goes beyond helping us to notice certain wrinkles of reality.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "helping us to", ensure that the verb following 'to' is in its base form. For instance, "helping us to understand" is correct, while "helping us to understanding" is not.

Common error

Avoid using a gerund or a past participle immediately after 'to' in the phrase. The correct structure is "helping us to + base verb", not "helping us to + gerund/past participle".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "helping us to" functions as a gerund phrase acting as an adjective, modifying the implied noun. It is used to describe the action of providing assistance or support towards a specific goal or activity. As shown by Ludwig, this construction is accepted in English writing.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "helping us to" is a grammatically correct and very common expression used to describe the act of assisting or supporting a group towards a specific goal. Ludwig's analysis shows that it appears frequently in diverse contexts, including news, science, and business. While there are alternative ways to express similar ideas, such as "assisting us in" or "aiding us to", it's crucial to maintain correct grammar by using the base form of the verb after 'to'. Overall, "helping us to" is a versatile and widely accepted phrase for acknowledging assistance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

assisting us in

Changes the infinitive to a gerund and replaces 'to' with 'in'.

aiding us in

Replaces "helping" with "aiding", using a gerund.

assisting us to

Replaces "helping" with "assisting", keeping the infinitive structure.

aiding us to

Replaces "helping" with "aiding", keeping the infinitive structure.

supporting us in

Replaces "helping" with "supporting", using a gerund.

facilitating our

Uses 'facilitating' to emphasize making something easier.

enabling us to

Emphasizes the ability to do something as a result.

contributing to our

Focuses on the contribution aspect of the help.

furthering our

Highlights the advancement or progress being made.

advancing our

Emphasizes the forward movement or development.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "helping us to" for a more formal tone?

In more formal contexts, you could use phrases like "assisting us in", "aiding us in", or "facilitating our". These options often convey a higher degree of formality.

What's a simpler way to say "helping us to"?

For simpler alternatives, consider using phrases such as "helping us" followed directly by a verb, or "support us to".

Is there a difference between "helping us to" and "helping us in"?

"Helping us to" is typically followed by a verb in its base form (infinitive), whereas "helping us in" is followed by a gerund (verb ending in -ing). For example, "helping us to understand" vs. "helping us in understanding".

Can I use "helping us to" at the beginning of a sentence?

While grammatically correct, starting a sentence with "helping us to" is less common. It's usually better to rephrase the sentence for clarity and emphasis, such as "By helping us to achieve this goal...".