Admit (to) doing (Follow-up question)

English grammar questions, answered by Alan

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SARDORBEK
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Admit (to) doing (Follow-up question)

Post by SARDORBEK »

Hello, Dear TEACHER!
I learn Englisn as a foreign language. Therefore, I usually pay attention to small details and
,perhaps, prefer going into detail in order to learn more...

1) a) Olga finally admitted to being responsible for the problem.
b) Olga finally admitted being responsible for the problem.
2)
a) Nodir admitted to having stolen the car.
b) Nodir admitted having stolen the car.

In reply to Bonia's question YOU "said' that
Admit to doing = admit that (you) did...
What about admit doing ? (without "to")
If the both structures mean the same, what is the difference between them (in terms of common usage, formal/informal and so on)?
Many thanks...
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Alan
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Re: Admit (to) doing (Follow-up question)

Post by Alan »

In many cases, the 'to' is optional. It is, however, usually omitted before an action verb (particularly in a criminal context), while it is often preserved before a stative verb, such as 'be' or 'have'.
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