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SuperPupp Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Take Up
"Peter took up the promise to cut prices."
Does it mean:
a) someone (possibly a store owner) else promised to Peter to cut prices and Peter accepted the offer.
or
b) Peter (possibly the store owner) previously made a promise to cut prices and now followed through on the said promise?
Does it mean:
a) someone (possibly a store owner) else promised to Peter to cut prices and Peter accepted the offer.
or
b) Peter (possibly the store owner) previously made a promise to cut prices and now followed through on the said promise?
Top answer
" Does it mean: a) someone (possibly a store owner) else promised to Peter to cut prices and Peter accepted the offer. or b) Peter (possibly the store owner) previously made a promise to cut prices and now followed through on the said promise? It sounds like this.
- " Does it mean: a) someone (possibly a store owner) else promised to Peter to cut prices and Peter accepted the offer.
- or b) Peter (possibly the store owner) previously made a promise to cut prices and now followed through on the said promise?
- It sounds like this.
- ) made the promise, but was unable to fulfill it.
- Peter then made the same promise.
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10 Answers
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Hi,
"Peter took up the promise to cut prices."
Does it mean:
a) someone (possibly a store owner) else promised to Peter to cut prices and Peter accepted the offer.
or
b) Peter (possibly the store owner) previously made a promise to cut prices and now followed through on the said promise?
It sounds like this.
"Peter took up the promise to cut prices."
Does it mean:
a) someone (possibly a store owner) else promised to Peter to cut prices and Peter accepted the offer.
or
b) Peter (possibly the store owner) previously made a promise to cut prices and now followed through on the said promise?
It sounds like this.
00
Thank you for your reply, Clive!
My confusion came from this dictionary:
Dictionary
Under entry "take something up", senses #3 and #5 cause me great confusion.
My confusion came from this dictionary:
Dictionary
Under entry "take something up", senses #3 and #5 cause me great confusion.
00
In this dictionary, there are two troublesome definitions of "take up":
3) if you take up a suggestion, problem, complaint etc, you start to do something about it.
5) to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea:
Both definition could be used for "Peter took up the promise to cut price
3) if you take up a suggestion, problem, complaint etc, you start to do something about it.
5) to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea:
Both definition could be used for "Peter took up the promise to cut price
00
Hi,
Really, you need to know the context for a sentence like that.
Clive
Really, you need to know the context for a sentence like that.
Clive
00
Thank you for your reply, Clive!
So, this:
"Peter took up the promise to cut prices."
is ambiguous?
So, this:
"Peter took up the promise to cut prices."
is ambiguous?
00
Hi,
Without any context, yes.
But in reality, no-one is going to simply walk into a room and say that without any context. If someone did, the listener would say 'What are you talking about?'
Clive
Without any context, yes.
But in reality, no-one is going to simply walk into a room and say that without any context. If someone did, the listener would say 'What are you talking about?'
Clive
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0
Hi,
One needs to read more of or maybe all of the earlier context to get a clear understanding of the meaning.
Clive
One needs to read more of or maybe all of the earlier context to get a clear understanding of the meaning.
Clive
00
Newspaper:
"THEN there's a subplot involving Bob's daughter and the thug next door, but at no time does the author decide whether she wants to write a contrasting lifestyle farce or something more significant about the refusal of the old country and its more diehard inhabitants to
"THEN there's a subplot involving Bob's daughter and the thug next door, but at no time does the author decide whether she wants to write a contrasting lifestyle farce or something more significant about the refusal of the old country and its more diehard inhabitants to
00
Hi,
"THEN there's a subplot involving Bob's daughter and the thug next door, but at no time does the author decide whether she wants to write a contrasting lifestyle farce or something more significant about the refusal of the old country and its more diehard inhabitants to take up the promise of unlimit
"THEN there's a subplot involving Bob's daughter and the thug next door, but at no time does the author decide whether she wants to write a contrasting lifestyle farce or something more significant about the refusal of the old country and its more diehard inhabitants to take up the promise of unlimit
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