Re: NEWS.22: `allows' without an object

[David Reitter]

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