I understand that the 'you' may be considered an object, but it seems more to me like the subject of an eliptical construction: "If you please to do (think?) so." Is there any evidence for something like this being the case? Paul D. ----- Original Message ---- From: "STAHLKE, HERBERT F" <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 2:24:29 PM Subject: Re: RSVP This strikes me as one of those fossilized forms, like “methinks” or “meseems,” that now seem archaic. “If you please,” while not so archaic, has a very formal feel to it. All the OED says of it is b. To be pleased, to like; to have the will or desire; to have the inclination or disposition; to think proper; to choose. Chiefly Sc.in earlier use. Equivalent in sense to the passive in sense 4b. Chiefly used in constructions where the desirable action or state is implied or understood; now rarely with this expressed by an infinitive clause. I don’t think the “you” is like the “me,” though, an archaic preverbal indirect object. Rather, as the OED indicates, the active has taken on the meaning of the passive. Herb From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Sent: 2008-04-27 10:24 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: RSVP Enclosed is a comment extracted from another list. I would appreciate the comments of other grammarians on the two questions posed. 1. (But do you really think "you" in phrases like "if you please" can be called a direct object? This construction is at least 500 years old. 2. (Would "if you like" be the same?) Scott Catledge Professor Emeritus history & languages To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/