Re: "write him" was Re: More questions

Tommie L Powell wrote:
> Mark J. Reed wrote:
>
>>I'm with you; that's one of several Britishisms which seem to me
>>to have missing words.  Also in that category are the
>>previously-discussed time-telling phrases such as "half six" to
>>mean "half PAST six".

> Yet another is "agree treaty" (or whatever).  As a Leftpondian,
> I'm irked that they don't say whether the treaty (or whatever)
> was agreed to or agreed on.  If you agree to something, that
> means (here in Leftpondia) that the other party presented it to
> you on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.  However, if you agree on
> something, that means either that the other party negotiated it
> with you on an equal footing or both parties were like-minded.

Saying "they agreed the treaty" belongs, I think, to a certain
register, used by news broadcasters, etc, but which wouldn't
be use in everyday speech. Hence there's no ambiguity.

I think Irish newsreaders would include a preposition.


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Stephen Mulraney  ataltane@ataltane.net  http://ataltane.net
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