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Re: NEWS.22: `allows' without an object
From: |
David Reitter |
Subject: |
Re: NEWS.22: `allows' without an object |
Date: |
Tue, 29 May 2007 10:51:39 +0100 |
On 29 May 2007, at 09:48, Stefan Monnier wrote:
I think "allows reading mail" is also okay, and doesn't require
"you".
That's indeed what I was told, and that's a source of the confusion
(for me
at least): in most contexts, "blabla to read mail" and "blabla
reading mail"
translate into the exact same thing in French, so I tend to not
know when to
use which.
In the specific case of "allow" and "enable", I know I'm not alone ;-)
"Reading" is used as a noun here, and "allow + noun" is an English
construction. Additionally, English allows for the omission of the
agent of nouns that have been converted from verbs (read -> reading):
"Reading was popular in the 50's" is okay, even though it is not
specified who is reading. (The genitive takes the place of the
subject, otherwise: "Peter's writing was awful.")
"Allow" is a control verb, where the entity that experiences the
"allowing" is realized as an object, but is also the subject of the
complement clause: "A allows B to do X" means "A permits that B do X".
A complement with "to" always means that a clause follows, and this
calls for a subject in English. With a control verb like "allow", you
should therefore always use the extra object: "The rain allows John
to go back to bed."
In the general case, I find the verbal style better than the noun
style, but native speakers may have a different view.
--
David Reitter
ICCS/HCRC, Informatics, University of Edinburgh
http://www.david-reitter.com