From: Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
To: Rostislav Svoboda <rostislav.svoboda@gmail.com>,
Alan Mackenzie <acm@muc.de>
Cc: "emacs-devel@gnu.org Development" <emacs-devel@gnu.org>
Subject: Re: To non-native English writers: expunging the solecism "This allows to do something."
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:39 -0800 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <56A65043.5070509@cs.ucla.edu> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <CAEtmmeyg5tTm2R+kUsE7GFjxuvCNTZB2S4ahu-2dZbS1xv8t4Q@mail.gmail.com>
On 01/25/2016 07:13 AM, Rostislav Svoboda wrote:
> In contrast to that, meaning of both expressions:
> this allows to do something
> this allows [...] to do something
> is quite clear.
That may be, but English grammar is not entirely laissez faire. For
non-native-English writers a good source for what constructions are
allowed is:
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/allow
Just to make your head spin a bit more, “allows to” is OK when followed
by an indirect object, even though the “to” could often be omitted in
that case. For example:
"So far the object is not only lawful, but it is the mere exercise of a
right which the law allows to every individual."
This is from Alexander Hamilton's 1791 opinion as to the
constitutionality of the Bank of the United States. I wonder: would
Hamilton have said the same thing about the GPL?
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2016-01-25 16:41 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 26+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2016-01-24 21:06 To non-native English writers: expunging the solecism "This allows to do something." Alan Mackenzie
2016-01-24 22:20 ` Marcin Borkowski
2016-01-24 22:54 ` Stephen Berman
2016-01-25 12:51 ` Alan Mackenzie
2016-01-25 14:03 ` Phillip Lord
2016-01-25 14:25 ` Stephen Berman
2016-01-25 15:35 ` Richard Stallman
2016-01-25 20:10 ` Stephen Berman
2016-01-25 2:41 ` Drew Adams
2016-01-25 15:13 ` Rostislav Svoboda
2016-01-25 15:16 ` Rostislav Svoboda
2016-01-25 16:18 ` Alan Mackenzie
2016-01-25 19:47 ` Michael Albinus
2016-01-25 16:41 ` Paul Eggert [this message]
2016-01-26 9:37 ` Richard Stallman
2016-01-25 15:35 ` Richard Stallman
2016-01-25 16:55 ` Rostislav Svoboda
2016-01-26 5:27 ` Yuri Khan
2016-01-26 9:37 ` Richard Stallman
2016-01-26 10:55 ` Rostislav Svoboda
2016-01-27 0:46 ` Richard Stallman
2016-01-25 23:14 ` Mathieu Lirzin
2016-01-26 3:07 ` Xue Fuqiao
2016-01-27 0:48 ` Richard Stallman
2016-01-27 11:06 ` Alan Mackenzie
2016-01-27 16:31 ` Mathieu Lirzin
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