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Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:04 pm
Post subject: Means of Transport and verb board/drive/catch... |
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Which means of transport
(plane/train/car/bus/taxi/tram/ferry/underground) goes with does verbs:
board, drive, gen on/off, get in/out, get into/out of, catch and run?
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Jim Lawton
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:19 pm
Post subject: Re: Means of Transport and verb board/drive/catch... |
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On 31 Oct 2005 06:04:39 -0800, mk.synek@gmail.com wrote:
| Quote: | Which means of transport
(plane/train/car/bus/taxi/tram/ferry/underground) goes with does verbs:
board, drive, gen on/off, get in/out, get into/out of, catch and run?
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It would be helpful if you were to tell us what you think, first.
--
Jim
the polymoth |
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Don Phillipson
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:30 pm
Post subject: Re: Means of Transport and verb board/drive/catch... |
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<mk.synek@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1130767479.195964.246380@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | Which means of transport
(plane/train/car/bus/taxi/tram/ferry/underground) goes with does verbs:
board, drive, gen on/off, get in/out, get into/out of, catch and run?
|
You may be approaching this the wrong way round . . .
1. The language includes some general-purpose verbs (e.g. get on and
get off) that are used correctly with all types of transport vehicle
(bicycle, ship, railway etc.)
2. Customary uses (e.g. board a ship, embark) were extended in
use when new vehicles were invented (thus board a railway train,
embus, etc.)
3. In general, the vehicle governs the choice of verb. E.g.
EFL speakers do not talk about boarding a bicycle, but they
do talk about riding a train. There may be a large range of
accepted and another list of non-standard verbs for each vehicle.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
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Mike Lyle
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:48 am
Post subject: Re: Means of Transport and verb board/drive/catch... |
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Don Phillipson wrote:
[...]
| Quote: | 2. Customary uses (e.g. board a ship, embark) were extended in
use when new vehicles were invented (thus board a railway train,
[...] |
There's a laboured and almost-amusing Kipling story in which Brits
decide a visiting American plutocrat is insane. The evidence: 1) He
stood by the track and flagged down a train, and was duly arrested;
2) He then explained that he wanted to board it ("The fella seems to
think it's a ship"); 3) He then lost his temper and said he could buy
the railroad ("He seems to think it's for sale").
(For those unfamiliar, Kipling was actually pro-American -- or,
rather, pro what he thought was American.)
--
Mike. |
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jerry_friedman@yahoo.com
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:36 am
Post subject: Re: Means of Transport and verb board/drive/catch... |
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Mike Lyle wrote:
| Quote: | Don Phillipson wrote:
[...]
2. Customary uses (e.g. board a ship, embark) were extended in
use when new vehicles were invented (thus board a railway train,
[...]
There's a laboured and almost-amusing Kipling story in which Brits
decide a visiting American plutocrat is insane. The evidence: 1) He
stood by the track and flagged down a train, and was duly arrested;
2) He then explained that he wanted to board it ("The fella seems to
think it's a ship"); 3) He then lost his temper and said he could buy
the railroad ("He seems to think it's for sale").
(For those unfamiliar, Kipling was actually pro-American -- or,
rather, pro what he thought was American.)
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Not in _Something of Myself_! It makes you wonder whether he expected
his wife to read it.
--
Jerry Friedman |
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