[PW] English question

[Douglas Anderson]

I hesitate to offer an opinion different from (or is it "different
TO"?) that of Ms. Milne, whose contributions to this list I always
admire, but I fear I must, with deepest apologies.

Synonyms are a poor yardstick for the proper usage of prepositions.
Many close synonyms take rather different approaches.  For instance,
one may "like" an idea (no preposition at all), "cotton TO" it,
"approve OF" it, "agree WITH" it, or "believe IN" it -- all somewhat
similar notions, but with completely different prepositional usage.

And the same word can be used with different prepositions with
different resulting meanings -- see
http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/0169.html for an example.

"Just sounds wrong" is likewise a poor yardstick.  To my
western-Pennsylvania-native ears, it "just sounds wrong" to say that
something "wants doing."  Rather, it just sounds right to say
something "needs done."  But in this instance my ears would betray me
if I were aiming for correct grammar, and I have unintentionally
offended many a listener's ear by saying something "needed done."  My
brother's English-born godmother, on the other hand, confused us rural
Pennsylvania kids repeatedly by asking us if something "wanted doing."

A co-worker and I were discussing this question this morning.  We have
at the reference desk a computer that has sitting upon it a small
carved turtle.  We agreed that this computer is "adorned WITH" a
turtle, and that it would indeed just sound wrong to say it was
"adorned IN" a turtle.  Yet we also agreed that, if the computer were
covered completely in carved turtles, that it would not feel amiss to
say that it was "adorned IN" turtles, though in her case it would not
be the phrasing that sprang immediately to mind.

-- Doug A.

On 6/6/07, Sylvia Milne <sylviamilne at btinternet.com> wrote:
> Have a look at http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=adorned
> especially at the synonyms.
> for example, would you garnish a dish "in" watercress or decorate your hat
> "in" ostrich plumes?
>
> Adorn in just sounds wrong.


-- 
Douglas E. Anderson, Reference Coordinator
Ashtabula County District Library
335 W. 44th St.
Ashtabula, OH 44004 USA
440/997-9341
http://www.acdl.info/