tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post7675209697275508829..comments2024-02-25T20:07:56.114-06:00Comments on Mr. Verb: Ask The Verb: My brain is already meltingMr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-57525090155122123942008-06-16T10:22:00.000-05:002008-06-16T10:22:00.000-05:00I teach ESL and while as an American I don't find ...I teach ESL and while as an American I don't find this rule true personally, I've seen stated in a few places (all referring to British English) that "I like to _verb_" is used to refer to something that we do because we feel it is proper or correct to do -- so "I like to wake up early in the morning.", whereas "I like _verb-ing_" we use to refer to something we enjoy doing, "I like eating bacon on Sunday."<BR/><BR/>If there is even a slight bit of overflow of this idea into American English, this might explain why it sounds odd but is not actually wrong.shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11328104560633045960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-24610900731663145022008-06-13T12:40:00.000-05:002008-06-13T12:40:00.000-05:00The key is "that" - what does it mean? Secondary i...The key is "that" - what does it mean? Secondary is the use of "ask" when I think "talk with" would be better.The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-10374157031603623402008-06-13T12:11:00.000-05:002008-06-13T12:11:00.000-05:00Thanks to both of you. I haven't figured out anyth...Thanks to both of you. I haven't figured out anything more about this.Mr. Verbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-60031669360847890602008-06-13T11:40:00.000-05:002008-06-13T11:40:00.000-05:00Mr. V, I think you're exactly right. Pragmatics is...Mr. V, I think you're exactly right. Pragmatics is the key. Consider a couple more examples within their discourse context: <BR/><BR/>1. What does "schadenfreude" mean? Well, here's an example: My mom gets embarassed about having been a tomboy as a kid. When we visit Grandma, I like to ask her about that.<BR/><BR/>2. Grandma suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, and can't remember recent events, but she derives great joy from talking about her youth in the Old Country. When I visit, I like to ask her about that.<BR/><BR/>We usually use "ask about" when inquiring for a particular piece of information, and doing so repetitively (as implied by "like to") would usually be considered annoying or bizarre. But when the purpose is something else (say, to be deliberately annoying, or to please someone who enjoys answering) the repetition can make sense.<BR/><BR/>"Ask about" works--barely--when prompting for stories on a general topic, but a more likely phrasing for that would be "I like to <I>talk to</I> my grandma about that" which implies an exploratory dialog covering a range of facts.<BR/><BR/>Or so I see it. (Same disclaimer)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-48780487750248676212008-06-12T20:29:00.000-05:002008-06-12T20:29:00.000-05:00For me, this would be completely well-formed if re...For me, this would be completely well-formed if restated as "I like to ask my grandma about stuff/things". I wonder if this is what the Russian penpal meant? If so, maybe it's just an awkward use of "that" with a generic meaning?<BR/><BR/>Disclaimer: I am not one of those people who know about these kinds of things.D. Sky Onossonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03878129270916134167noreply@blogger.com