Monday, June 9, 2008

"Graduate from...." "Be graduated from...."

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: Is "He graduated high school acceptable?"

Answer: No. This usage is unacceptable and it grates on my ear. This expression is one of my pet hates. You GRADUATE FROM Harvard University. You will BE GRADUATED FROM Harvard University. But you DO NOT "...graduate Harvard University." That expression sounds as if you are giving the degree to Harvard University and sending Harvard University out into the world to make a living.

Rating of Distractibility: ***. UGH!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm a foreign language translator, and I was told to say "I was graduated from" by my 11th grade Eng. teacher. It hasn't made sense in 20 years, and finally somebody has solved my problem, as I've been trying to get to the bottom of it. Thanks! I believe you!