Re: USAGE : English past tense and participle in -et

--- On 4 Nivôse, 212, Tristan McLeay screeved:

> On Fri, 26 Dec 2003, Costentin Cornomorus
> wrote:
>
> > --- Gary Shannon <fiziwig@...>
> [complained about alot]:
> >
> > Well, a- is an old intensive particle in
> English (as well as a present
> > participal marker).
>
> Any examples? (historic or current). (A- has
> alota meanings in English,
> most dead or restrictet non-productively to
> ahandfula words.)
Well, there was a good example. Or do you mean as
present participle marker? "A-hunting we will
go!" etc. I think it's a reduced on-; and is
still current, though mock serious in tone.

> > I doubt that people are aware of this, but it
> > seems that they're simply recomposing single
> words that look to have
> > been decomposed at some time apast.
> >
> > When you think about it, "a" in such phrases
> really can't be the
> > indefinite article, because the noun that
> follows is always plural.
> > (Can anyone think of any exceptions?)
>
> Well, in 'a lot of money', the 'a' doesn't
> apply to the 'money': it
> applies to the 'lot', cf. 'a person's house'
Well, it depends. If I say I have alot of money,
I don't mean I have money that's in a lot
somewhere; it means I have very much money.

Padraic.



=====
la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu ast meiyoer ke 'l andrext ben trasfu.


--

Ill Bethisad --
<http://www.geocities.com/elemtilas/ill_bethisad>


Come visit The World! --
<http://www.geocities.com/hawessos/>







.

Reply