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Christanford Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary

Meddle v. always intransitive?

Hi,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/aug/16/harder-a-levels-gove-conservative

Gove said the tables were responsible for warping the subjects taught in schools. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he accused ministers of "meddling" and "dumbing down" the exam system.

My dictionarys says "meddle" is an intransitive verb.
Why isn't "meddling" here followed by "with"?

Thanks in advance
  

Top answer

Hi. Christanford Why isn't "meddling" here followed by "with"? Yes, it is intransitive.

— Fandorin

  • Hi.
  • Christanford Why isn't "meddling" here followed by "with"?
  • Yes, it is intransitive.
  • It also can be followed by "in".
  • Intransitive verbs cannot take direct objects.
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5 Answers
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Hi.
ChristanfordWhy isn't "meddling" here followed by "with"?
Yes, it is intransitive. It also can be followed by "in".
Intransitive verbs cannot take direct objects. They can take it only after prepositions. So your dictionary is all fine and dandy.
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ChristanfordWhy isn't "meddling" here followed by "with"?
There is no "with" either 1) because "meddling" is being used in a general sense or 2) because the writer made a mistake.

1. Without any complement, meddling can refer to meddlesome behavior in general.

The ministers were meddling. No mention of what they were medd
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