Re: Ellipsis (was: Re: Italian Particles)

John Cowan wrote:

> > In many cases you can't omit the object. This may be partly conditioned
> > by the common transitive/intransitive homonymy ('Burn!' wouldn't mean
> > the same as 'Burn it!'), but there must be other factors involved (can
> > you ever say in English simply 'Give!' or 'Take!', I wonder? And why,
> > if not?).
>
> "Take!" is impossible for me; it has to be "Take it!".  As for "Give!",
> that is possible in a situation of begging (the Bible says:
> "The horse-leech has two daughters, crying, Give, give)".
Are you sure that's native English syntax?  I find "give" in an imperative
without at least one argument stilted, and without two in declarative
sentence sounds strange as well.

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Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
ICQ#: 4315704   AIM: trwier
"Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."
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