Seth,

Absolutely!  Put the direct object in and it reads smoothly.  I hadn't
thought of that.  But without it, it does sound abnormal.

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




Edmond--
>  
> You might be hearing a missing direct object for "drip":
>  
> Wemberly worried that she might drip cabernet on her new dress.
>  
> Does that work better to your ear?
>  
> Seth
>  
> Dr. Seth Katz 
> Assistant Professor
> Department of English
> Bradley University
>  
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Edmond Wright
> Sent: Fri 3/12/2010 10:44 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
> 
> 
>> 
> 
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