Help Prevent vs. Help to Prevent – Which is Correct?
Both forms are correct in American English phrases. After help, the bare infinitive “prevent” and the to-infinitive “to prevent” can follow help. The meaning is essentially identical, though help prevent is often shorter and more conversational. Use either, but keep your style consistent throughout formal and informal writing in most contexts.
Help Prevent or Help to Prevent – Which is Correct?
Help prevent and help to prevent are both grammatically correct. They mean “assist in stopping something from happening.” The main difference is structural: help prevent uses a bare infinitive, while help to prevent uses a to-infinitive.
In American English, the shorter form, help prevent, is especially common in headlines, instructions, advertising, and everyday speech. The form help to prevent is also natural and may sound slightly more formal or deliberate. In most sentences, replacing one with the other does not change the meaning.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the “two doors” trick: after help, English allows the verb to walk through either the bare-infinitive door or the to-infinitive door. Both doors lead to the same meaning. Therefore, both “help prevent accidents” and “help to prevent accidents” are correct.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| help prevent | Verb phrase | Assist in stopping something | Regular exercise can help prevent illness. |
| help to prevent | Verb phrase | Assist in stopping something | Regular exercise can help to prevent illness. |
How to Use Help Prevent
Help prevent is formed with the verb help followed directly by the base form of another verb. It is concise, natural, and widely used in both casual and formal American English. The subject may be a person, action, product, policy, or circumstance that reduces the likelihood of an unwanted result.
This phrase commonly appears before nouns such as accidents, disease, damage, problems, and conflicts. It does not usually promise complete protection; instead, it often means that something contributes to reducing a risk.
Example 1: Wearing a helmet can help prevent serious head injuries.
Example 2: Clear instructions help prevent confusion among new employees.
Example 3: Backing up your files may help prevent permanent data loss.
Etymology of the Phrase Help Prevent
Help comes from the Old English word helpan, meaning to assist or support. Prevent comes from the Latin praevenire, meaning “to come before” or “to anticipate.” Together, the phrase developed the modern sense of assisting in stopping an event before it occurs.
How to Use Help to Prevent
Help to prevent uses the same verb phrase as help prevent, but it inserts the infinitive marker to before prevent. This construction is fully grammatical in American English and is common in careful, formal, and explanatory writing.
The added to does not create a significant difference in meaning. Some writers choose it because the sentence sounds more measured or because it matches the rhythm of surrounding phrases. In other cases, writers omit it to make the sentence more direct.
Example 1: These safety checks help to prevent equipment failure.
Example 2: A balanced diet may help to prevent nutritional deficiencies.
Example 3: The new policy is designed to help to prevent unauthorized access.
Etymology of the Phrase Help to Prevent
The phrase combines the Old English verb help with the infinitive construction to prevent. English has long allowed help to be followed by either a bare infinitive or a to-infinitive. Both patterns became established in standard usage, which is why both forms remain correct today.
Related Concepts
Understanding infinitives and verb patterns makes it easier to see why both versions are acceptable.
- Bare infinitive: A bare infinitive is the base form of a verb without to, as in “help prevent.” Certain verbs, including help, can be followed by this form.
- To-infinitive: A to-infinitive consists of to plus the base verb, as in “help to prevent.” It is another standard way to complete the verb phrase after help.
- Verb phrase: A verb phrase contains a main verb and any accompanying words. In both expressions, help prevent or help to prevent functions as the central action.
- Risk reduction: Help prevent usually suggests reducing the possibility of an event, not guaranteeing that the event will never happen.
Examples from Media and Literature
Both constructions appear across public communication, educational writing, journalism, and fiction. The following examples show how each form works in realistic contexts:
- Health reporting: A newspaper article may state that regular physical activity can help prevent heart disease.
- Public safety announcements: A transportation campaign might advise drivers to slow down to help prevent collisions.
- Product instructions: A household cleaner’s directions may explain that proper storage helps to prevent accidental spills.
- Historical nonfiction: A discussion of diplomacy may explain that early negotiations helped prevent a larger conflict.
- Contemporary fiction: A character might say that telling the truth could help to prevent a misunderstanding.
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct phrase to complete each sentence. In several cases, both options are grammatically acceptable.
- Drinking enough water can ________ dehydration.
- The warning label is intended to ________ misuse of the product.
- These procedures help ________ errors during testing.
- Installing a security update may ________ unauthorized access.
- Open communication can help ________ disagreements from becoming serious conflicts.
Answer Key
- help prevent or help to prevent
- help prevent or help to prevent
- help prevent or help to prevent
- help prevent or help to prevent
- help prevent or help to prevent
Help Prevent Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Help stop | Assist in stopping an action or event; usually more direct and conversational. |
| Help avert | Assist in preventing an unpleasant or dangerous event. |
| Help avoid | Assist in keeping someone or something away from an unwanted outcome. |
| Help reduce | Assist in lowering the amount, severity, or likelihood of something. |
| Help ward off | Assist in protecting against a threat, illness, or difficulty. |
Help to Prevent Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Help stop | Assist in bringing an action or event to an end. |
| Help avert | Assist in preventing an undesirable event before it happens. |
| Help avoid | Assist in avoiding a problem, danger, or unwanted consequence. |
| Help minimize | Assist in making a problem or risk as small as possible. |
| Help forestall | Assist in delaying or preventing something, especially through early action. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is “help prevent” grammatically correct?
Yes. “Help prevent” is grammatically correct and uses help followed by a bare infinitive. It is concise and very common in American English.
Question 2: Is “help to prevent” grammatically correct?
Yes. “Help to prevent” is also correct. The word to introduces the infinitive prevent, and the phrase has essentially the same meaning as “help prevent.”
Question 3: Which form is better for formal writing?
Either form is suitable for formal writing. Choose help prevent for a more concise style or help to prevent when it fits the rhythm and structure of the sentence better.
Conclusion
Help prevent and help to prevent are both correct expressions. The first uses a bare infinitive, while the second uses a to-infinitive, but their meanings are virtually identical. Pro Tip: In professional writing, consistency and clear sentence structure matter more than choosing one form exclusively; select the version that makes your writing sound natural and polished.
