Ebert: accustomed to her occupying

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Marius Hancu - 30 Jun 2010 02:02 GMT

Hello:

Somehow I'm not comfortable with
"they are accustomed to her occupying."

How about
"they are accustomed to be occupied by her?"

---
And consider the welcome that Nick stages for Mabel on her return from
the institution. It is strained in countless ways, but underneath
everything is the sense of an actress returning to reclaim the role
she made her own, in a long-running play. She may be well, she may
still be ill, but the people in her life are relieved that at least
she is back, taking up the psychic space they are accustomed to her
occupying.

Roger Ebert on "A Woman Under the Influence"
http://tinyurl.com/k5q3j
----
--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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tony cooper - 30 Jun 2010 02:10 GMT

>Hello:
>
>Somehow I'm not comfortable with
>"they are accustomed to her occupying."

The concept of occupying psychic space is not something that I can get
my mind around, but that's an OK way of phrasing it if you have to say
it.

>How about
>"they are accustomed to be occupied by her?"

Horrible.

>---
>And consider the welcome that Nick stages for Mabel on her return from
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>http://tinyurl.com/k5q3j
>----

Signature

Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

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Steve Hayes - 30 Jun 2010 02:52 GMT

>Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>How about
>"they are accustomed to be occupied by her?"

No, it would have to be "accustomed to be being occupied", which would be way
too clumsy.

>---
>And consider the welcome that Nick stages for Mabel on her return from
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>http://tinyurl.com/k5q3j
>----

Signature

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

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Mark Brader - 30 Jun 2010 05:04 GMT

Marius Hancu:

>> "they are accustomed to be occupied by her?"

Steve Hayes:

> No, it would have to be "accustomed to be being occupied", which would
> be way too clumsy.

Never mind clumsy, that version is also wrong. See my other response.

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Mark Brader, Toronto | "What caused the submarine to sink?"
msb@vex.net | "Dad, it was the 20,000 leaks!!"

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Mark Brader - 30 Jun 2010 05:03 GMT

Roger Ebert:

>> ... She may be well, she may
>> still be ill, but the people in her life are relieved that at least
>> she is back, taking up the psychic space they are accustomed to her
>> occupying.

Marius Hancu:

> Somehow I'm not comfortable with
> "they are accustomed to her occupying."

It's good.

> How about
> "they are accustomed to be occupied by her?"

Wrong. If "they are accustomed to" is to be completed by a verb
alone, it has to be a verb describing something *they* do. "They
are accustomed to seeing her occupy" would be possible, but inferior
to the original.

Signature

Mark Brader, Toronto | "...and if sooner or later your revels must be ended,
msb@vex.net | well, at least you reveled." --Roger Ebert

My text in this article is in the public domain.

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Marius Hancu - 30 Jun 2010 11:15 GMT

> Roger Ebert:
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> are accustomed to seeing her occupy" would be possible, but inferior
> to the original.

OK, thank you all.
Marius Hancu

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Ray OHara - 30 Jun 2010 05:53 GMT

> Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> http://tinyurl.com/k5q3j
> ----

It is fine the way he wrote it and it makes perfect sense.
. What you wrote as an alternative is completely wrong and makes no sense at
all.

Ebert is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

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Derek Turner - 30 Jun 2010 11:00 GMT

> Hello:
>
> Somehow I'm not comfortable with
> "they are accustomed to her occupying."

These gerundives are often troublesome to non-native speakers. Treat
'occupying' as a noun which takes the possessive pronoun. Note that if
the person were male it would (or at least, should) be HIS occupying not
HIM. Now compare with "I've grown accustomed to her face."

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Marius Hancu - 30 Jun 2010 11:20 GMT

> > Somehow I'm not comfortable with
> > "they are accustomed to her occupying."
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> the person were male it would (or at least, should) be HIS occupying not
> HIM. Now compare with "I've grown accustomed to her face."

I don't have problems with them in general. It was something related
to this context.

Marius Hancu

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / June 2010

Ebert: accustomed to her occupying