From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Paul Eggert Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: To non-native English writers: expunging the solecism "This allows to do something." Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:39 -0800 Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Message-ID: <56A65043.5070509@cs.ucla.edu> References: <20160124210602.GA7711@acm.fritz.box> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1453740133 31228 80.91.229.3 (25 Jan 2016 16:42:13 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2016 16:42:13 +0000 (UTC) Cc: "emacs-devel@gnu.org Development" To: Rostislav Svoboda , Alan Mackenzie Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Jan 25 17:42:04 2016 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1aNkDJ-0008F8-CT for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 17:42:01 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:39594 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNkDI-0004xe-Qo for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 11:42:00 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:59544) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNkD4-0004xY-Qd for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 11:41:47 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNkCz-0003oT-Re for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 11:41:46 -0500 Original-Received: from zimbra.cs.ucla.edu ([131.179.128.68]:48728) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNkCz-0003oO-LZ for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 11:41:41 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by zimbra.cs.ucla.edu (Postfix) with ESMTP id B77691607DA; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:40 -0800 (PST) Original-Received: from zimbra.cs.ucla.edu ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (zimbra.cs.ucla.edu [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10032) with ESMTP id AKY_aeSyll2y; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:39 -0800 (PST) Original-Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by zimbra.cs.ucla.edu (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9C985160819; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:39 -0800 (PST) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at zimbra.cs.ucla.edu Original-Received: from zimbra.cs.ucla.edu ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (zimbra.cs.ucla.edu [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10026) with ESMTP id wEvIyaAERbqi; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:39 -0800 (PST) Original-Received: from penguin.cs.ucla.edu (Penguin.CS.UCLA.EDU [131.179.64.200]) by zimbra.cs.ucla.edu (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 8385A1607DA; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:39 -0800 (PST) User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:38.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/38.5.0 In-Reply-To: X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 3.x X-Received-From: 131.179.128.68 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:198792 Archived-At: 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=20 non-native-English writers a good source for what constructions are=20 allowed is: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/allow Just to make your head spin a bit more, =E2=80=9Callows to=E2=80=9D is OK= when followed=20 by an indirect object, even though the =E2=80=9Cto=E2=80=9D could often b= e omitted in=20 that case. For example: "So far the object is not only lawful, but it is the mere exercise of a=20 right which the law allows to every individual." This is from Alexander Hamilton's 1791 opinion as to the=20 constitutionality of the Bank of the United States. I wonder: would=20 Hamilton have said the same thing about the GPL?