OT: "graduated college." NOT!

[Kibitzer]

It seems that many -- perhaps most -- people say "graduate(d) college" or "graduate(d) high school." When they do so (by omitting the grammatically essential word "from"), they are dead wrong.

Schools graduate students, not the other way around. Without "from," the statement turns things upside down. It's a simple matter of how transitive or intransitive verbs work.

If you have indeed graduated from college, or from high school, say so -- and thus avoid sounding illiterate.

Any comments? Go!

 

[Icebear]

Never heard someone say graduated college. Interesting.

 

[VAMike23]

One comment -

The preferred usage has evolved on this. To my knowledge, the passive form, as in "I was graduated from [_school_] in 1952" was preferred in years past. The active form, as in "I graduated from [_school_] in 1982" was incorrect. As you point out, the active form is now accepted and the passive form is regarded as archaic. I suspect it is a similar--though not identical--situation with the word married.

 

[Sargassoc]

It seems that many -- perhaps most -- people say "graduate(d) college" or "graduate(d) high school." When they do so (by omitting the grammatically essential word "from"), they are dead wrong.

Schools graduate students, not the other way around. Without "from," the statement turns things upside down. It's a simple matter of how transitive or intransitive verbs work.

If you have indeed graduated from college, or from high school, say so -- and thus avoid sounding illiterate.

Any comments? Go!

"Tend bar" has become the norm, minus the preposition "to."

As a high school English teacher, I have noticed the incredibly odd construction "sleep over a friend's house" become the standard construction, even in writing. This shift has occurred over the last ten years, roughly, and my students truly, truly believe that it is NOT actually "sleep over AT a friend's house." I'm talking 10th and 12th graders-- from Yale to jail students.

 

[j66kicker]

Never heard someone say graduated college. Interesting.

I have, but usually not from someone who graduated college

 

[Kibitzer]

Never heard someone say graduated college. Interesting.

I have often heard it and read it -- even here on the Boneyard.

The author of one site ("Grammar Girl," IIRC) describes the extensive research that persuaded her of the ubiquitous use of the errant expression.

 

[meyers7]

It seems that many -- perhaps most -- people say "graduate(d) college" or "graduate(d) high school." When they do so (by omitting the grammatically essential word "from"), they are dead wrong.

Schools graduate students, not the other way around. Without "from," the statement turns things upside down. It's a simple matter of how transitive or intransitive verbs work.

If you have indeed graduated from college, or from high school, say so -- and thus avoid sounding illiterate.

Any comments? Go!

The point of communication is to get your point across using the fewest words possible. I continually see some on here who haven't grasped that yet.

 

[Gus Mahler]

At the other end of the experience: Do you matriculate to, or at? I think you matriculate at if you are referring to a specific institution, but you use to if it's a more general reference. I guess you can matriculate into, as well.

At any rate, "matriculate the ball down the field" does not mean the same as "graduate the ball down the field."

 

[Zorro]

No no. It is "fling that spheroid down the field"! And hasn't "graduate high school" maybe become so commonly used that it is now acceptable, possibly as a regionalism? Sort of like the Brit "in hospital" vs the U.S. "In the hospital"?

 

[JimGunther]

In a related vein:
I always choke when I hear people - in the media, no less - note that someone attained their "High School Degree" Huh?

 

[Kibitzer]

The point of communication is to get your point across using the fewest words possible. I continually see some on here who haven't grasped that yet.

Agree. Communicate important point across quick.

 

[meyers7]

Agree. Communicate important point across quick.

Zactly

 

[BIGMAC]

I are a collage gadiate

 

[AboutWeston]

Yes, those who say this "graduated" without the "from" are...unfortunately exhibiting characteristics of the not so well educated.

 

[trisailin]

Agree. Communicate important point across quick.

I"m sorry Mr. Kib - but you need a "ly" on the end of your quick just as Meyers7 did. "Fastly" would have worked.

 

[hjoerring]

Is it poor grammar- oh, those prep; better get them early in the learning to speak years or, they will forever haunt you (as in the learning of a new language- no logic, just memorize it). Or, is it the tendency in American language/speaking (carrying over to the written text) to drop words. 'Wanna come?' Instead of- would you like to come?
It will be interesting to see how speaking and writing are changed by the existing technologies over the next generation or two.

 

[UcMiami]

Boy Kib you are really nailing the modern usage of contracted speech to the wall - first you complain about me referring to my drinking game as 'scoring draught', leaving out the 'scoring drought leads to a scoring draught beer', and now you are complaining about 'graduate school'! What do you have against masters and doctorate degrees?!

We, I believe, are seeing the common usage in text messaging, and social media that restrict character/word usage translate into both verbal and long form written communication.

'Hello, are you there and what are you up to?' translates into 'Hello?' Or '?' We are using more and more shorthand, and dropping words that don't actually add meaning to common phrases.

And really what about the person who graduates, but was never there - so many people take correspondence classes and they were never 'at' school so can they graduate 'from' it?

Or someone like Morgan who may Graduate Connecticut but stay on at Connecticut to get her Masters degree from Connecticut - she isn't going to be 'from' Uconn until she leaves Uconn is she?

This is all so confusing ... I think I better watch some conference tournaments and hope for a chance at some scoring draughts!!!

 

[Kibitzer]

I"m sorry Mr. Kib - but you need a "ly" on the end of your quick just as Meyers7 did. "Fastly" would have worked.

Thanks. Please believe me -- I did it on purpose. Honest.

 

[Kibitzer]

@UcMiami. I have three HS faculty members coming to our home tomorrow to pick up some things for the school. I sent an email to their supervisor: Q 4 U. ETA?

She shot back a reply in 30 minutes: 9:30 - 10:00.

EZ!

 

[huskyd]

At the other end of the experience: Do you matriculate to, or at? I think you matriculate at if you are referring to a specific institution, but you use to if it's a more general reference. I guess you can matriculate into, as well.

At any rate, "matriculate the ball down the field" does not mean the same as "graduate the ball down the field."

As I'm sure you know, Gus, matriculating will stunt your growth. Leave your prepositions alone.

 

[huskyd]

It seems that many -- perhaps most -- people say "graduate(d) college" or "graduate(d) high school." When they do so (by omitting the grammatically essential word "from"), they are dead wrong.

Schools graduate students, not the other way around. Without "from," the statement turns things upside down. It's a simple matter of how transitive or intransitive verbs work.

If you have indeed graduated from college, or from high school, say so -- and thus avoid sounding illiterate.

Any comments? Go!

Would you be content, Kib, if young folks said "Me and Gwen graduated from college"? The real problem is with pronouns. Even the president can't get those right. And can't anyone tell the difference between "podium" and "lectern"? You stand ON a podium and AT a lectern (unless it's a desk lectern). So it goes in this troubled world.

 

[MilfordHusky]

It seems that many -- perhaps most -- people say "graduate(d) college" or "graduate(d) high school." When they do so (by omitting the grammatically essential word "from"), they are dead wrong.

Schools graduate students, not the other way around. Without "from," the statement turns things upside down. It's a simple matter of how transitive or intransitive verbs work.

If you have indeed graduated from college, or from high school, say so -- and thus avoid sounding illiterate.

Any comments? Go!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hear "graduated" followed by the type or name of the school--omitting the preposition--almost all the time now. It drives me crazy!

I attended Lehigh and Penn and graduated FROM UConn and Brown. At least, I received diplomas. I was absent from the graduation ceremonies. So did I really graduate?

 

[CTyankee]

I can not figure out if these changes in the (American) English language as described in this thread is a failure of teaching and learning in our school system or just the natural evolution of the English language...

"We had a fun time". (As an example) This would never have been accepted as proper English in the 50's and 60's yet not only is it used by my children and their children , but by TV talking heads...

At some point I think I was taught or learned that the English language is the most flexible of all languages and that is the reason that it has become the language of choice for communicating across countries...

I hope someone among our most knowledgeable group can guide me further about this...