Passed the area by

Question

Hello...Below are examples of (a) “pass the NP by".************a1. The war passed the area by during the early years.b1. The war passed by the area during the early years.a2. Logging and mining also seem to have passed the area by.b2. Logging and mining also seem to have passed by the area.a3. Morning's weather was perfect for another swim but soon came the gloomy clouds that passed the area by.b3. Morning's weather was perfect for another swim but soon came the gloomy clouds that passed by the area.**********Does a1. mean “The area was affected by the war” and b1. mean “The area was not affected but almost affected by the war”?And does a3. mean "the clouds passed the area" but b3. mean "the clouds didn't pass the area but passed close by"?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

pructusBelow are examples of (a) “pass the NP by".

"the" is part of the NP, so it's "pass NP by". Anyway, "pass NP by" suggests not affecting NP in your examples, but "pass by NP" suggests moving along a line that is near a point described by NP. The second of these is quite literal in comparison to the first.

You can pass by the bank on your way to the supermarket, pass by the post office on your way to a hotel, or pass by a lake on your way to a distant city. But if you say you passed something by, you're saying, more or less, that you ignored it. When an inanimate abstract idea (the war, the logging industry, etc.) passes an area by, it means it does not affect the area in question.

It is rare that you can use both "pass NP by" and "pass by NP" as alternatives in the same sentence

CJ

Pructus · Answer

Oh, I see... I see...
Now, it's so clear!!
Thanks so much, CJ~!!

Pructus · Answer

Thanks also for the tip of "the" in NP....

CalifJim"the" is part of the NP, so it's "pass NP by".

This one seems to be a somewhat important point....

And thanks also to you Mister Micawber for stopping by...

Pructus · Answer

A dictionary, Collins Cobuild Phrasal Verbs Dictionary says like this:

1. If you pass by something or if you pass it by, you go past it without stopping.

And then presents some examples like these:

I was just passing by and I saw your car.
Helen flinched as the younger woman passed her by.

**********

Isn't the "pass it by" and "passed her by" wrong?
Shouldn;t it be "pass by it" and "passed by her"?

The dictionary also presents another meaning and examples like below.

2. If something passes you by, it happens and finished before you notice it or can take advantage of it.

an old friend whose works up to now have passed me by.
Life was passing her by.

CalifJim · Answer

pructus2. If something passes you by, it happens and finished before you notice it or can take advantage of it.an old friend whose works up to now have passed me by.Life was passing her by.

This is one of the usages that I told you about in an earlier post.

pructusIsn't the "pass it by" and "passed her by" wrong?Shouldn;t it be "pass by it" and "passed by her"?

No. You will find this word order occasionally for this meaning, especially when the object is a pronoun (it, her).

CJ

Pructus · Answer

Thanks so mcuh again, CJ~!!

This part is difficult....

As used in the meaning like, pass by the bank on the way to the supermarket, using pass it by is hard to understand.

For example, in the I passed by the post office on my way to the Mart, the by is a preposition.

But in The war passed the area by, the by is an adverb or adverbial preposion, not a preposition.

So, in the example, 1. If you pass by something or if you pass it by, you go past it without stopping. doens't it have to be "pass by it"?

Because if it is a preposition, the word order is not changed as in, Put on it, Drill a hole in it, Have at it, Make do with it, etc. Also, Speak with him, not Speak him with.

The dictionary seems to be saying, Speak him with. is OK as in the meaning of Speak with him.

I am wondering what I do not know, or what I have been missing.

CalifJim · Answer

pructusAs used in the meaning like, pass by the bank on the way to the supermarket, using pass it by is hard to understand.

I agree. There are always inconsistencies in the English language that students can easily find, but which we natives never think about.

pructusThe dictionary seems to be saying, Speak him with. is OK as in the meaning of Speak with him.

What you say makes sense, but nothing comes to mind which can explain it other than what I have already suggested in my previous posts.

pructusI am wondering what I do not know, or what I have been missing.

The only thing I can say is that personally I don't hear "pass by something" and "pass it by" as always exactly the same, as the dictionary seems to be saying. If I pass by something, I go past it. If I pass it by, I sense that whether I go past it or not, I ignore it, showing that I am not interested in it. (Lucy felt insulted when Janet passed her by without saying 'hello'.)

I don't know if this helps or just makes things more complicated for you. As I said, usage can sometimes be inconsistent, and it can even depend on the individual speaker and how they have heard an expression used during their own lifetimes.

CJ

Pructus · Answer

Oh, I see... I see...
You have drawn the whole picture as a top class native speaker.
So, it's my turn to digest it...

Thanks so much, CJ~!!

Passed the area by

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