[General] Can you reach that box down for me?

[kompstar]

1. Can you reach that box down for me?

2. Can you reach me down that box?


My questions: Are the both sentences correct? If "yes", do they mean the same?

 

[teechar]

Neither is correct. Can you say it in another way?
Also, please use the default font (type and size) in your future posts please.

 

[Rover_KE]

They're OK in my dialect, and mean the same.

Being quite short, I use them both quite often in supermarkets (with the addition of 'please').

 

[teechar]

They're OK in my dialect, and mean the same.

Really? "Reach something down for someone" or "reach someone down something" are new phrasal verbs to me.

 

[Skrej]

They're okay for me as well in AmE, although I probably prefer the first.

 

[teechar]

On second thoughts, the second doesn't really sound unnatural, even though I may not use it. I'm still not so sure about the first, but I'm interested to hear what others have to say.

 

[GoesStation]

Neither sounds natural to me.

 

[teechar]

Thanks GS! I was almost going to reach you down that old paper dictionary of mine from that shelf, but I decided to wait. Oh, can you please reach down your dictionary for me if you feel up to it? I'm just curious; that's all!

 

[tedmc]

Can you reach down/up to get that box for me?

 

[jutfrank]

Personally, I would consider both as poor usage in anything other than a casual, informal style, though they are perfectly natural (2 more than 1).

The verb reach down here seems to mean reach up and pass down, which is not a documented use of the verb, but which is, however, effective in this context.

 

[Tdol]

They're OK in my dialect, and mean the same.

The first sounds OK to me- it may not make literal sense, but it sounds fine. The second sounds odd to me.

 

[SoothingDave]

It's not natural to me at all. "Reach down" doesn't mean "reach up to get something and bring it down."

 

[emsr2d2]

It's used that way in BrE.

Can you reach me that down?
Could you reach me down that box?

I don't recommend learners use it until they're pretty much fluent and I'm fairly sure it would be marked wrong in an exam setting.

 

[jutfrank]

It's used that way in BrE.

Can you reach me that down?
Could you reach me down that box?

I don't recommend learners use it until they're pretty much fluent and I'm fairly sure it would be marked wrong in an exam setting.

I wouldn't say it's part of BrE usage or any other variety and I wouldn't encourage learners to use it at all.

 

[Tdol]

I wouldn't encourage learners to use it at all.

Given that is seems to be regional within BrE and peculiar in other variants, there are better ways of saying it.

 

[jutfrank]

Well, Rover, ems and I are happy enough with both the original sentences, and Tdol accepts the first, so clearly they are part of the language of some speakers of BrE.

What I mean by being 'part of the language' is that it is not documented (at least as far as I can find). They sound natural to me, too.

Your post seems to imply that if some people are happy with something then it can be considered as part of the language. Is that right?

 

[jutfrank]

Given that is seems to be regional within BrE and peculiar in other variants, there are better ways of saying it.

What makes you think it's regional?

 

[GoesStation]

The phrase reminds me of a regional American usage immortalized in song: "Make me down a pallet on your floor."

 

[jutfrank]

I don't think it's possible to say with confidence that it is not part of BrE usage.

Agreed. Can you link to the citations you found?

 

[jutfrank]

Sorry. Some of those links don't seem to work. You'll either have to take my word for it or search for yourself.

No need to apologise—that's great! Thanks. (I failed to find anything.)

That settles it—enough evidence for me.