English question about correct word usage.

“Have” is a verb. Using it or not will change the meaning of your sentence.

Using the third example -

You can sell arms without using them.

This implies that while one might sell guns, they don’t often shoot.

You can sell arms without having to use them.

This implies that the gun seller does not find themselves in a situation in which one might need a gun for self defence.

The verb in the first is “use”. In the second, it’s “have”, or more accurately, “need”

@Seek_Kolinahr: If I use “having to”, will that imply an obligation to complete?

I am bored with going to the office.

—Going to office is an activity decided by me and that bores me.

I am bored with having to go to the office.

—It’s an obligation and I hate to complete.

Am I right?

I didn’t enter my first sentence correctly. I was going to edit it, but time already ran out.

The meaning changes, albeit slightly. “Having to” brings with it the meaning of “must” whereas in the other sentences without “having to”, they just imply action to be done.

Yes, I think “have to” indicates obligation.

1a) I am bored to go to the office.

this sentence doesn’t make sense, it’s not proper syntax

1b) I am bored having to go to the office.

this sentence is more correct, and placing “having to” does change the meaning, but it is a weak phrase, and it’s not really “having to” that’s the problem, but rather “to go”. It’s a pseudo ‘be verb’ and there’s a better way to say it, eg: “Going to the office is boring”.

2a) How to look pretty without having to wear makeup?

This sentence is incorrect. Firstly, it ends with a question mark but it is not a question. At least not properly constructed. Again it contains be-verb “to wear”, but that doesn’t help matters, nor change the meaning of (2b). This sentence sounds like the title of an article in Cosmo magazine, not an actual question.

2b) How to look pretty without wearing makeup?

This isn’t any better than 2a. The best way to say this is to replace “to” with a pronoun, such as “How I look pretty without makeup”, but even then it is a fragment, requiring a colon followed by the explanation of how you look pretty without makeup. If you really wanna put that question mark to use properly, it would be “How can I look pretty without wearing makeup?”.

3a) You can sell arms without always having to use them.

Technically a correct statement, but again the weak “to use” is followed by the clunky “having” verb. For best results, and the application of strong verbal voice, we would probably be better off going with (3b), which hasn’t changed the meaning much at all.

Vs
3b) You can sell arms without always using them.

^ Thank you, @gambitking.

That was way too tedious to do on my mobile, with its laggy keyboard.

Just my opinion, in all of your sentences, except the 1st one, throwing the word “having” in is unnecessary and just makes them too long and clunky.

“I am bored to go to the office” doesn’t make sense, so you HAVE to throw the word “having” in so that it does make sense, although it might be better worded as “It bores me to have go to the office.”

The rest of them, leave it out for brevity’s sake.

I use my arms regularly so I shan’t be selling them any time soon.

@gambitking I think that @misty123 is asking about the grammar of “have to” and not the style.

What is a ‘be verb’?

A state of being verb.

Am
Are
Be
Been
Being
Can
Could
Did
Do
Does
Had
Has
Have
Is
May
Might
Must
Shall
Should
Was
Were
Will
Would

@Seek_Kolinahr That doesn’t really help. A “state of being verb” isn’t any more clear than “be verb”. A lot of those are modals. @gambitking describes “go” and “wear” as “be verbs”.

I would interpret “be verb” as what is sometimes called “linking verb” – that is, a verb that could be replaced by “be”, for instance “seem” in “the test seems hard”, or “feel” in “I feel tired”. But “go”, “wear”, “can”, “could”, “have”, “should”, etc. don’t fit that pattern.

Go and wear are not state of being verbs, they are action verbs.

Could be… have been… should be…

Seem is an action as well. It is better replaced by appear.

seem and appear are commonly called linking verbs or copula because they link a subject to a complement.