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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010Pact to?
In the news, Pat Robertson suggested that the earthquake in Haiti happened because the Haitians "swore a pact to the devil". Is this proper usage? I would have said "pact with". The only results on Google for "pact to" are the quotes from the Robertson story, and when you exclude that, the results are of the form "pact to <do something>", which is clearly correct, and different. I would very much appreciate for any pointers to online dictionaries or grammar tools that include preposition usage. This is the most idiomatic (and therefore unintuitive) part of English, most difficult for non-native speakers like me, but rarely found.  SignatureYou'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone. > In the news, Pat Robertson suggested that the earthquake in Haiti >happened because the Haitians "swore a pact to the devil". > Is this proper usage? In my opinion, nothing Pat Robertson says is "proper" or even "sane". I agree that "pact with" is more appropriate, but this is a quote from a nutter. What do you expect? For some other quotes from Pat, see: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnyquotes/a/patrobertson.htm Number 8 did not particularly alarm me, and I would be in any hurricane paths involved. >I would have said "pact with". The only >results on Google for "pact to" are the quotes from the Robertson story, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >the most idiomatic (and therefore unintuitive) part of English, most >difficult for non-native speakers like me, but rarely found. SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida >> In the news, Pat Robertson suggested that the earthquake in Haiti >> happened because the Haitians "swore a pact to the devil". [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I agree that "pact with" is more appropriate, but this is a quote from > a nutter. What do you expect? Well, he's a native speaker. I'd expect correct English usage, if nothing else. Is he rich? Maybe the Haitian government can sue him for libel and recoup some of the earthquake losses? SignatureYou'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone. >>> In the news, Pat Robertson suggested that the earthquake in Haiti >>> happened because the Haitians "swore a pact to the devil". [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Well, he's a native speaker. I'd expect correct English usage, if >nothing else. Why? In any case, he was in an off-the-cuff conversation on a TV show. Precise English usually suffers a bit under those circumstances. > Is he rich? Maybe the Haitian government can sue him for libel and >recoup some of the earthquake losses? Maybe Haitian law permist such a defamation action, but US law doesn't. Signature************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@cox.net) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * > On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:49:00 -0500, Patok > [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > - Show quoted text - His English is only slightly better than his religion. Many native speakers have substandard English in their usual and ordinary speech. A fair number can't write correctly either. Including scriptwriters, either entertainment or news. >Many native speakers have substandard English in their usual and >ordinary speech. A fair number can't write correctly either. >Including scriptwriters, either entertainment or news. Robertson ran for president in 1988, a scary thought. Signature************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@cox.net) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * >>Many native speakers have substandard English in their usual and >>ordinary speech. A fair number can't write correctly either. >>Including scriptwriters, either entertainment or news. > >Robertson ran for president in 1988, a scary thought. Palin-Robertson 2012! SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >> On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:49:00 -0500, Patok >> [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] >ordinary speech. A fair number can't write correctly either. >Including scriptwriters, either entertainment or news. Surprisingly, at least to me, is that Robertson has a decent education and did well at university. He has a liberal arts degree from Washington & Lee University and qualified for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. He was later admitted to University Yale Law School and has a J.D. degree. He also has a Master of Divinity degree from Biblical Seminary in the Philadelphia area. He's an idiot, but a well-educated one. SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida [ ... ] > Surprisingly, at least to me, is that Robertson has a decent education > and did well at university. He has a liberal arts degree from [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > He's an idiot, but a well-educated one. The man's insane, at least when it comes to religion. As many examples remind us, one can be both intelligent and insane. Unfortunately, it's also possible to be crafty and insane. I do agree that he'd make an ideal running mate for Sarah Palin. Make of that what you will. SignatureBob Lieblich Vote for me - I'm almost normal > In the news, Pat Robertson suggested that the earthquake in Haiti >happened because the Haitians "swore a pact to the devil". > Is this proper usage? Definitely not. The proper form is "Pat Robertson swore a pact with the devil." Or maybe "Pat Robertson swore to a pact with the devil." Or better yet, "Pat Roberston is in a pact with the devil." > I would have said "pact with". The only >results on Google for "pact to" are the quotes from the Robertson story, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >the most idiomatic (and therefore unintuitive) part of English, most >difficult for non-native speakers like me, but rarely found. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >happened because the Haitians "swore a pact to the devil". > Is this proper usage? I would have said "pact with". It suggests to me that he meant they pledged themselves without assurance of anything in return, merely hoping the devil would agree to the pact and repay them. For two people making a pact together, to me a pact "to" each other suggests pledging their entire lives and loyalty, where a pact "with" each other involves only some specific actions or items. However, a quick search of Google Books doesn't bear out my impression. The first few hits are about very specific things like "Their secret pact to each other to eat a chestnut wherever they were as the bell rang for vespers each evening." ¬R http://users.bestweb.net/~notr/cats "Would you like to watch a movie about George Wendt while eating Chinese food with a cat?" --Andy Simmons |
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