Please help with my grammar question

Question

The other day, my friend said to me "Do you want this bringing inside?".

I am sure that should be "Do you want this brought inside?", but I don't remember enough grammar skills to explain why. Can somebody who knows grammar give me a technical explanation, and perhaps an example that will prove to my friend the error of her ways

Answer 1

"Bringing" is a proper word, as there is nothing wrong with, "I will be bringing this with me." Bringing is a fine gerund, it just doesn't fit where your friend placed it.

Bringing can be used as a future continuous like "Next week we will be bringing..." or as a past perfect continuous like "She had been bringing..." From the examples, you can see that the gerund is continuous; it keeps on going. If you're only bringing one thing inside, it doesn't make sense to use a word that represents it being brought inside the house over and over again.

"Do you want me to bring this inside?" would also have been correct in addition to your "Do you want this brought inside?" They both clearly explain that the item will only be brought inside the house once.

Now, if you're bringing in a lot of groceries and WILL be going into the house over and over, then it's okay to say "Do you want me to start bringing in these groceries?" :)