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October 2004

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Subject:
From:
Kent Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 30 Oct 2004 12:22:52 -0500
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text/plain
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Johanna,

If "to become" can't take an object, what do we make of the very
reasonable sounding construction, "I don't want to become him"? (I don't
mean an elided "*like* him," but more like the pauper objecting to
becoming the prince, for instance).

Should such a statement properly be, "I don't want to become he"? That
sounds funny, doesn't it?

And I don't mean to beat an objective horse, but I still don't
understand what we are supposed to do with that "who." I know about how
the who/whom question is determined be the pronoun's function within the
clause, and I try to teach my composition students the principle as best
I can, when the need arises. But normally when one recasts a relative
clause, it makes perfect sense. In this case, I still don't quite see
how we can accept the sentence essentially saying, "Return without delay
to become you truly are he."

Kent

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