[Grammar] pass by

[CaseyA]

From entry 1a of -----> learnersdictionary.com/search/pass (add "www" to the link)

She was hoping he would stop and talk to her, but he passed her by.

For established verb phrases, you could move the preposition from before the direct object to just after the direct object.

But "pass by somebody", in the sense of moving by somebody without talking to him/her, is not an established verb phrase, as "by" could be conveniently dropped.

Do you native speakers think that the example (from some dictionary) is wrong?

 

[BobK]

Why? Should I? Why should I? Do you?

b

 

[CaseyA]

I thought "passed by her" is more correct than "passed her by", unless I am wrong.

 

[BobK]

I thought "passed by her" is more correct than "passed her by", unless I am wrong.

Hmm :-? I prefer the second, but I'm not sure that either is more or less correct than the other. What do other teachers think...:-?

b

 

[Tdol]

For established verb phrases, you could move the preposition from before the direct object to just after the direct object.

Where did you get this from?

 

[5jj]

Where did you get this from?

It's probably a reference to that class of multi-word (phrasal) verbs in which several positions for the particle are possible:

I looked the word up in the dictionary.:tick:
I looked it up in the dictionary. :tick:
I looked up the word in the dictionary. :tick:
I looked up it in the dictionary. X
I looked up it and another word in the dictionary. ?

Only one pattern is normally used with a verb followed by a preposition.

I looked the chimney up. X
I looked it up. X
I looked up the chimney. :tick:
I looked up it. :tick:

 

[Vidor]

not a teacher

To "pass X by" is a standard phrasal verb, with the words in that order, meaning to move past something without taking notice or without stopping, to decide not to exercise a particular option, to miss an opportunity. When written in that order it carries the connotation of failure to notice something, possibly deliberately. When Ringo sings "don't pass me by" he is asking his girl not to ignore him.

To write it in the other order, "pass by X", is the literal connotation, to physically move past something.

 

[Kathleen Shuster]

That dictionary example is correct!

 

[5jj]

That dictionary example is correct!

Well, it's grammatically acceptable.

 

[lilac1999]

is it the same as " he cut her dead " means ignored intentionally