"It is safer to stay on the train than attempting to get off"

[MissPenteuth]

This is on the "in case of emergency" sticker on tube trains in London. It has always bugged me.

Surely it should be "Staying on the train is safer than attempting to get off" or "It is safer to stay on the train than to attempt to get off", not some mangled combination of the two??

[Kikithecat]

Quite right!

As the only other person on PedCorn at the moment I must offer my support.

What do you think of "the thing is, is..."???

[nickelbabe]

yes, you're right - to stay on should be with to attempt.
and staying should be with attempting.

[tethersend]

Oh, the litany of public transport offences.

"If you are violent against our staff [...]" ironically, makes me want to be violent towards their staff.

[prism]

It is, let's face it, a health and safety issue. A card-carrying pedant could be trapped on a crashed train, contemplating the misuse of a gerund. Not sure how the tabloids would report it, but mark my words, it's an accident waiting to happen...

[PrettyCandles]

Argh - likewise.

I asked 10yo ds what was wrong with the sign, and he spotted it at once.

[BilboBag]

I must be a member of the nitwit class, as I continue to struggle with what is wrong with this sentence. Surely, even attempting to get off a train (we can envisage various wild but unsuccessful grapplings) may compromise one's safety?

[Monty27]

I think it just needs an 'it' at the end.

[K8Middleton]

"get off"? "alight" is the correct term.

[BilboBag]

"get off"? "alight" is the correct term.

Who sez?

[HorryIsUpduffed]

It is inelegant but comprehensible.

Unmatched lists are a bugbear of mine though. "He liked swimming, chocolate éclairs, and to poke pigeons with sticks."

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

The combination of 'staying' / 'to attempt' isn't ideal, but I've seen far worse.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

Or even 'to stay' / 'attempting'!