"It depends what you mean by ..."

[Odessa Dawn]

It depends what you mean by RP. If, as is so often understood, you mean an extreme caricature of Thirties pronunciation, yes. Modern speakers of RP tend towards lip-spreading, I would say. But I don't have my IPA book to hand.
http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pr...tml#post957512
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As emsr said, "You shouldn't believe, or use, everything you read on the internet." As a result, I want to consult you, native speakers, not an unauthorized website. I have checked W3 in which I found the following:


"USAGE NOTE: In writing, depend is followed by on or upon when indicating condition or contingency, as in It depends on who is in charge. Omission of the preposition is typical of casual speech."


Should I avoid omitting the preposition after the verb depend in writing? Can native speakers turn blind eye if I drop the preposition?

More: depend: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com

P.S.: Please not that you are the only ones who are in charge of providing the authentic knowledge about English language usage. Thus, I have written this to get your consultation. Thank you so much.

[SoothingDave]

Yes, use "on" in formal writing.

[5jj]

P.S.: Please not that you are the only ones who are in charge of providing the authentic knowledge about English language usage.

I don't think any of us have ever claimed that we are.

[emsr2d2]

As emsr said, "You shouldn't believe, or use, everything you read on the internet." As a result, I want to consult you, native speakers, not an unauthorized website. I have checked W3 in which I found the following:


"USAGE NOTE: In writing, depend is followed by on or upon when indicating condition or contingency, as in It depends on who is in charge. Omission of the preposition is typical of casual speech."


Should I avoid omitting the preposition after the verb depend in writing? Can native speakers turn blind eye if I drop the preposition?

More: depend: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com

P.S.: Please note that you are the only ones who are in charge of providing the authentic knowledge about English language usage. Thus, I have written this to get your consultation. Thank you so much.

As 5jj said, in formal writing, always include the preposition. Native speakers won't bat an eyelid if it's missing in ordinary everyday speech.

Regarding your PS, native speakers can give you authentic opinions on what sounds natural but there are other places to learn about English language usage. Admittedly, some schools, courses and textbooks are better than others but this is certainly not the only authority!