"Approve/disapprove" in a sentence

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

Is "of" optional in the first sentence? It is in the second, if I am not mistaken.

1. "The church doesn't approve of surrogacy. Despite the fact that it gives couples a chance to have a child."

2. "The church disapprove of surrogacy despite the fact that it gives couples a chance to have a child."

 

[emsr2d2]

Hello.

Is "of" optional in the first sentence? It is in the second, if I am not mistaken.

1. "The church doesn't approve of surrogacy no full stop here despite the fact that it gives couples a chance to have a child."

2. "The church disapproves of surrogacy despite the fact that it gives couples a chance to have a child."

"of" is required in both. In such a context, we "approve of something" or "disapprove of something". The other meaning of "approve" has a different antonym - "unapprove".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hello.

Is "of" optional in the first sentence? It is in the second, if I am not mistaken.

1. "The church doesn't approve of surrogacy despite the fact that it gives couples a chance to have a child."

2. "The church disapproves of surrogacy despite the fact that it gives couples a chance to have a child."

Of is required in both.

(Cross-post.)

 

[Rachel Adams]

"of" is required in both. In such a context, we "approve of something" or "disapprove of something". The other meaning of "approve" has a different antonym - "unapprove".

I thought I could omit "of" according to the definition #2.
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/disapprove?q=Disapprove

 

[Tarheel]

That's a different usage.

 

[emsr2d2]

"A solid majority disapproves the way the president is handling the controversy" (taken from that link and which says it's North American English) does not work in BrE.

 

[Rachel Adams]

"A solid majority disapproves the way the president is handling the controversy" (taken from that link and which says it's North American English) does not work in BrE.

But since the idea is the same that's why I thought I could omit "of" in "disapprove".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

"A solid majority disapproves the way the president is handling the controversy" (taken from that link and which says it's North American English) does not work in BrE.

It doesn't work at my house, either. It should be disapproves of.

You can approve something (My vacation request was approved), but you can't disapprove something.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I thought I could omit "of" according to the definition #2.
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/disapprove?q=Disapprove

It's interesting that Oxford approves. I'm a North American, and I haven't heard it used that way.

 

[GoesStation]

"A solid majority disapproves the way the president is handling the controversy" (taken from that link and which says it's North American English) does not work in BrE.

Nor does it in American English. We disapprove of the way he's handling it.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Nor does it in American English. We disapprove of the way he's handling it.

Is the dictionary wrong or is it just a typo?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Is the dictionary wrong or is it just a typo?

Typos are wrong.

So, was it intentional? Probably.