Edmund,

"Drip" seems a little like "eat," "drink," "read," and "write" in that it is a transitive verb that can have a zero object.

Herb

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Edmond Wright
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 11:44 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: a query

Dear All,

On a different aspect of Natalie's original sentence (' Wemberly worried
that she might drip on her new dress').

Am I alone in finding the use of 'drip' with a person as subject odd?  It
would seem more natural to my English ear to say

Wemberly worried that she might allow a drip to fall on her new dress.
> 
One could, of course, say

Wemberly worried that she might splash/splatter/stain/blotch her new dress.

Edmond


Dr. Edmond Wright
3 Boathouse Court
Trafalgar Road
Cambridge
CB4 1DU
England

Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/elw33/
Phone [00 44] (0)1223 350256


> 

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/