RE: transitive verbs (was Do alarms always sound?)

Subject: RE: transitive verbs (was Do alarms always sound?)
From: Karen Field <kfield -at- STELLCOM -dot- com>
To: "'infinity'" <infinity -at- yourhead -dot- com>, TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 10:04:55 -0700


Christi wrote: <You can configure an alarm to trigger.

The verb isn't trigger, rather it is configure. "To trigger" (I think)
would be a prepositional phrase. Yes? So is that particular construction
gramatically incorrect? And if so, is it for a different reason?>

Just exploring the idea here. I think in "You can configure an alarm to
trigger," "to trigger" is also an infinitive. In other words, when I read
that sentence I reflexively asked "To trigger _what_?" Which is what made me
think it's a transitive verb.

My two mantras: IlovetheEnglishlanguage IlovetheEnglishlanguage AND
IhateWordIhateWordIhateWord.

Karen Field




Previous by Author: RE: Motivation For Overtime?
Next by Author: RE: Technical Writers or Information Developers?
Previous by Thread: re: transitive verbs (was Do alarms always sound?)
Next by Thread: Customizable documentation?


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads