sit in on ?

[whl626]

A: Most disagreements seem to be over hair and general appearance of the teenagers.
B: And we have called those superficial.
A: Exactly
B: I like the idea of sitting in on a discussion .I will take you up on that subject.

I don't understand the last sentence in this dialogue ? sit in on and take you up on .....

Thanks in advance

[Red5]

The following is only my opinion...

If you "sit in on" a discussion you observe but don't necessarily take part in the discussion.

If you "take someone up on the subject" it means that you will consider it and discuss it at a later date, probably in detail.



PS- How ya doing? How's the site going?

[whl626]

Hmm, this is what I had in mind. Thanks

How's the site going ? Usingenglish is way ahead of English Daily for sure :p. People seem to appreciate my helf and pay some visits. And it shows a little progress.

[MikeNewYork]

A: Most disagreements seem to be over hair and general appearance of the teenagers.
B: And we have called those superficial.
A: Exactly
B: I like the idea of sitting in on a discussion .I will take you up on that subject.

I don't understand the last sentence in this dialogue ? sit in on and take you up on .....

Thanks in advance

I don't understand what the second response by B has to do with the other three. Perhaps more context would make it clearer. In the US, one can "sit in on a discussion" (join, attend) and contribute or not. We wouldn't use "take you up on" a subject. We can "take you up on an offer" (accept it) or we can "take up a subject" (discuss it) later.

[whl626]

In an informal dialogue, people tend to say things so indirectly and sometimes they don't mean it literally. I sort of agree that there is not so much coherence in it.

[MikeNewYork]

In an informal dialogue, people tend to say things so indirectly and sometimes they don't mean it literally. I sort of agree that there is not so much coherence in it.

It's hard to make judgements based on short snippets. Perhaps B was referring to something said earlier. :wink:

[Red5]

In BE, to "take someone up on something" is a perfectly common usage meaning that you will discuss it with them. Sometimes it is used as a euphemism for interrogation. It's a bit like bringing it up at a later time or date.

You can also "bring the subject up".

Addidionally, the expression "I'll take you up on it" can mean acceptance of an idea.

[MikeNewYork]

In BE, to "take someone up on something" is a perfectly common usage meaning that you will discuss it with them. Sometimes it is used as a euphemism for interrogation. It's a bit like bringing it up at a later time or date.

You can also "bring the subject up".

Addidionally, the expression "I'll take you up on it" can mean acceptance of an idea.

In AE, we can say "I will take that up with someone" to mean a subject to be discussed with that person.