Learn English – He spent all that money to/on buy/ buying a house. – meaning difference

prepositionssentence-meaning

  1. He spent all that money to buy a house.

  2. He spent all that money buying a house.

  3. He spent all that money on buying a house.

Do all the above sentences mean the same, if not, what are the differences in their meaning?
Is it necessary to use a preposition before buying/buy? Or is it okay to leave prepositions out in similar contexts?

Best Answer

The first question is simple; the meaning of the sentences is the same.

As for the second question, it is not necessary to use a preposition before the verb in this situation. The use of the preposition "on" comes from the idiom "to spend on". However, "to spend" works fine on its own, sometimes:

He spent all that money.

It's up to you whether or not you want to use "on" or not. In sentences 1 and 2, the idiom isn't used, so you don't need the preposition. In sentence 1 you are using a different preposition "to" with the infinitive to express purpose. In sentence 2, you're using a participial phrase.

In the end, they all sound a little redundant. I agree with TRomano's comment; cut it to just "He spent all that money on a house."