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#140523 06/28/05 05:58 AM
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Beloved Bingley ~

Do you, perhaps, lead me like a sheep to be slaughtered? Nay, you are too fine a fellow to harbour such base designs. Knowing full well that I will be excoriated for making this distinction, I will answer your question.

Father Steve, is 'graduate' a transitive verb in your part of the world?

Yes, graduate is a transitive verb. It is, despite widespread and persistent misuse, a school, college or university which graduates and it is the successful students who are thereby graduated. The common use is a barbarism and marks the user as careless and a person likely to kick dogs, forget his/her mother's birthday and put the milk carton back in the refrigerator after drinking directly from the spout.


#140524 06/28/05 11:23 AM
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can [it] be grammatically correct to only use "am" as opposed to "I am" or "I'm" if an "I" precedes

I'm sure we've all wondered about this.

It seems to me that writing is similar to the art of painting. Once you've mastered the basics, you can forget all the rules. In fact, to really excel, you must forget them, just as a painter forgets the mechanics of each brushstroke.

Personally, I think one should feel the rhythm of the sentence. In this case, the rhythm of the sentence is slightly amiss without the addition of "I'm".

Generally speaking, less is more in the composition of a sentence. This is one exception.


#140525 06/28/05 02:34 PM
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Dogs do not back warily from my presence, I manage to remember my mum's birthday each year, and on the few occasions I drink milk I drink it from a glass.

Nevertheless, for me, 'graduate' is and always has been an intransitive verb: X graduated from Universitas Indonesia in the year 2000.

Bingley


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#140526 06/28/05 04:13 PM
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Dogs do not back warily from my presence

Hey, Bingley, no-one, especially me, would count you amongst the olicarpy [who number only 5 or 6].

As long as I have known you here, you have always been a perfect gentleman. And I have tried, sincerely, to reflect that quality back to you in everything I have ever posted in reply to you.

The high-minded qualities you model deserve emulation.

#140527 06/28/05 05:15 PM
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an intransitive verb

Yes, Bingley! The transitive form just don't sound right, no way, no how (sorry, Fr. Steve!).


#140528 06/28/05 06:10 PM
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Bingley sez: for me, 'graduate' is and always has been an intransitive verb

And the humble vicar replies: I will continue to pray for you and Nancy.


#140529 06/28/05 06:33 PM
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Padre, I could almost swear that you've just passed judgment ...

Nancy, watch out for the penalty phase!


#140530 06/28/05 06:57 PM
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you've just passed judgment

Which is easier and less painful than passing a kidney stone, but related ... somehow.


#140531 06/28/05 09:46 PM
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According to the OED the transitive sense is older than the intransitive (1588 v. 1807) but "[n]ow rare exc. U.S."

YCLIU


#140532 06/28/05 10:01 PM
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1. trans. To admit to a university degree. Also with complement, indicating the degree obtained. (Cf. sense 3.) Now rare exc. U.S.

1588 PARKE tr. Mendoza's Hist. China xiv. 95 To commence or graduate such students as haue finished their course. 1602 CAREW Surv. Cornwall I. (1723) 61 John Tregonwel, graduated a Doctor and dubbed a Knight, did his Prince good seruice. c1645 HOWELL Lett. (1650) I. 3 Transplanting me thence to Oxford, to be graduated. 1693 Apol. Clergy Scot. 106 An insinuation that he was not graduated Doctor in the University. 1723 in B. Peirce Hist. Harvard Univ. (1833) 128 The Theses of the Batchelours to be graduated at Commencement. 1766 T. CLAP Hist. Yale Coll. 23 [He] upon his Return was graduated at this College 1724. 1844 EMERSON Lect., New Eng. Ref. Wks. (Bohn) I. 262 Some thousands of young men are graduated at our colleges in this country every year. 1884 Harper's Mag. Nov. 813/1 The class of '76 was graduated with six men.



fig. 1622 MABBE tr. Aleman's Guzman d' Alf. I. 75 With him I ranne over the whole course of my misfortunes, since the first time that I was graduated and tooke degree in them. a1661 FULLER Worthies, Durham (1662) I. 316 This Fresh-man Colledge lived not to be matriculated, much less (not lasting seven years) graduated, God in his wisdom seeing the contrary fitter.


[cross-threading and put-paiding]


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