Thanks. I wondered if I was missing something here. I've taught a
sophomore-level grammar class for many years, mostly from Martha Kolln's
Understanding English Grammar, and I've habitually used become as something
of a prototypical (not an "acceptable" linguistic term, most likely, but it
works for those of us in the community college trenches) linking verb.
Quite seriously--sarcasm and (paltry) attempted humor aside--my students
find it useful.
Again--thanks. Many of us who teach (many-per-term) comp courses, soph
grammar courses, and soph survey lit courses find ourselves at a loss for
time to do standard research--at least, that is, if we desire any kind of
life outside our professional sphere. I do; I'm near retirement, I love my
job, I love my family and other (primarily horticultural)interests, and I'm
old enough to understand that time must be apportioned and appreciated--not
taken for granted. I also find language utterly fascinating; I think it
would be hard to continue in this profession--especially with the course
loads many of us have carried for years--if we didn't find it fascinating.
And--to continue as I began before I interrupted myself with a tangent--this
listserv is very useful and productive as food for thought, in place of
(and, I'm sure, as a supplement to) the kind of research I once believed I
would be able to do. Maybe in another life....
'Scuse the verbosity. I'd flunk (or at least admonish) a 101 student for
going off like this.
Barbara Muller
_____
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Stahlke,
Herbert F.W.
Sent: Fri 10/29/2004 7:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: to become you truly are the person?
Johanna,
I noticed this before and didn't comment then, but why do you call "become"
an intransitive rather than a linking verb? They differ considerably,
including in their complementation.
Herb
-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Johanna
Rubba
Sent: Fri 10/29/2004 7:57 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: to become you truly are the person?
Once again, the clause "who you truly are" is not the object of
anything. It is the subject complement of the infinitive "to become".
Objects appear only after transitive verbs; "become" is intransitive.
Maybe Wanda meant to say "complement" instead of "object". It's easy to
confuse the two terms, but "complement" is more general.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johanna Rubba Associate Professor, Linguistics
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
One Grand Avenue . San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tel. (805)-756-2184 . Fax: (805)-756-6374 . Dept. Phone. 756-2596
. E-mail: [log in to unmask] . Home page:
http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba <http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba>
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