Someone has taken my wallet

Metamorfose · Post by **Metamorfose** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:09 pm

Hello

I have one exercise which students are supposed to choose the most appropriate form according to the situation given, one of items says "If your wallet had disappeared from your pocket, you would say..." and then we have the following choices:

a) Someone has picket up my wallet.
b) Someone has robbed my wallet.
c) Someone has taken my wallet.

The teacher's book says "c" is the right opition, but I don't see any problems with "a", what do you think?

Thanks

José

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 5:15 pm

C (or something like it - 'Somebody's stolen my wallet', or 'I've lost my wallet', or 'My wallet's gone/disappeared/been stolen etc'), even if it is assuming too much and 'the worst', is actually "assuming" a lot less than A (which we would only really say in a different context - having been rung by the lost property office is what springs to my mind)...so I myself would have a problem with A in preference or even in addition to C.

By the way, A is 'picked' rather than 'picket' (one versus two syllables), right?

I guess that objects themselves can't be robbed (unlike people or places), so B sounds wrong (just in case anyone were wondering).

Metamorfose · Post by **Metamorfose** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:05 pm

heheheehe picked....simply a typo fluffy.

Thanks a bunch for the feedback

José

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:06 am

B is fine in some British dialects, but generally the direct object of "robbed" refers to the place things were taken from (and even then is restricted, you can't usually say "robbed my pocket"). A doesn't sound like theft (especially out of a pocket), so C.

zorro (3) · Post by **zorro (3)** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:46 am

I would actually say B (if with fellow native speakers) over the other two examples.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:54 pm

Aargh! My intuition's been robbed of its "authority"!

jotham · Post by **jotham** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:24 pm

Someone picks up an object that is on a flat surface. You wouldn't pick up a wallet when it is in someone else's pocket. You would take it, or steal it.
Someone steals an object, but robs a person or store...or the person or store might get "robbed of" an object.

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:59 pm

By the way, what can be "robbed" in standard English? Is it a place or person that can put up a defence?

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 3:04 pm

What Jotham said got me wondering...

Daylight robbery/muggery etc could be reported quite indirectly, eh:

A: I picked up some nice stuff the other day...wanna buy anything?
B: Ooh, nice wallets! Where are they from? Off the back of a lorry?
A: Actually, I robbed somebody of them/?robbed them off somebody/stole-nicked them from somebody etc.

Not sure I'd potentially muddy the waters too much in actual class, though.