Re: USAGE : English past tense and participle in -et

Costentin Cornomorus wrote:

>--- Gary Shannon <fiziwig@...> wrote:
>
>
>>>>On Fri, 26 Dec 2003, Andreas Johansson
>>>>
>>>>
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>>Lately, I've seen alot of people
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>misspelling the
>>
>>
>>>past tense and passive
>>>
>>>
>>>>>participle ending _-ed_ as **_-et_.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>Lately I've seen a lot of people using the
>>non-word
>>"alot" a lot.
>>
>>If we're going to admit "alot" why not also
>>admit
>>"afew", "alittle", "abunch" and "anumber".  If
>>I can
>>write "I have alot of ideas" I should be able
>>to write
>>"I have acouple dollars," and "I have abunch of
>>grapes."
>>
>>
>
>Well, a- is an old intensive particle in English
>(as well as a present participal marker). I doubt
>that people are aware of this, but it seems that
>they're simply recomposing single words that look
>to have been decomposed at some time apast.
>
>
a-  is a reduced  form of  OE ge  in alike aware
a prefix meaning 'out' in arise abide
it's a reduced form of preposition 'on'  in 'a hunting' 'a building' for
example but in this case hunting is a gerund (verbal noun) not a present
participle
etc etc

What examples do you have with a- as a present participle marker?

>When you think about it, "a" in such phrases
>really can't be the indefinite article, because
>the noun that follows is always plural. (Can
>anyone think of any exceptions?)
>
lot is singular  so it can take the indefinite article
lots is the plural alternative
we also have
an  amount  of
a number of
a quantity of

Though these don't mean much or many

Exceptions any non  count noun

a lot of money, a lot of trouble,  a  lot  of  waste


David Barrow

>
>
>
>>Just a nother
>>
>>
>
>Ah! Tha does that too! Nother is an interesting
>word. It can be, as it is here, a transferrence
>of the N of "an" to "other"; so it is a nother <
>another < an other. Nother can also be < ne
>other, and means neither of two.
>
>Padraic.
>

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