Choose the option that best complete the gap (s) The philanthropist devoted himself......the poor

Analyze the question The sentence is "The philanthropist devoted himself __ the poor." We need the right preposition/form to follow "devoted himself."

Explain the concept The verb phrase "devote oneself to" takes the preposition to, and here "to" is a preposition (not part of an infinitive). A preposition must be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form). So we say:

• devote yourself to studying
• dedicate yourself to serving
• be committed to helping

Step-by-step solution

1. The phrase is "devoted himself to ..." so the gap needs to.
2. Because "to" is a preposition here, the next word must be a gerund: helping.
3. Check the options: • A. by helping: "by" doesn't go with "devote oneself." • B. to be helping: this uses "to" with an infinitive, which is wrong because we need a gerund after the preposition. • C. to helping: correct preposition and correct gerund. • D. in helping: "devoted himself in" is not the right collocation.

Complete sentence: "The philanthropist devoted himself to helping the poor."

Tip Watch for phrases where "to" is a preposition and is followed by -ing: devote to, dedicate to, look forward to, be used to, committed to, object to. If you can put a noun after "to" (e.g., "devoted himself to charity"), then "to" is a preposition and the verb needs -ing.