Which one is correct?
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The test is established in order to promote the development of Business English major and to strengthen the competitiveness of Business English graduates in the job market.
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The test is established in order to promote the development of Business English major and strengthen the competitiveness of Business English graduates in the job market.
Should I plus to in front of the strengthen or not? And why? Thanks!
Best Answer
Consider:
the two verbs are in close proximity so repeating to is unnecessary. Now:
Here the two verbs are much further apart, in which case it is preferable to repeat the word to to avoid any possibility of momentary ambiguity. Repeating to signals to the reader that the first verb phrase is over and a second one is starting.
In the next sentence the two verbs are not very far apart but the first verb phrase is a coordinate with and:
In this case, too, it is preferable to repeat to in order to signal the start of the second verb phrase.
As to the OP's second sentence, the verbs are neither very far apart, nor is the first verb phrase coordinated, so there is little likelihood of ambiguity. But repeating to serves, in my opinion, to slightly emphasise that there are two purposes and to differentiate them (which is what I just did!)