reach me a needle or pass or get

[ostap77]

I've been told that it's incorrect to say;

" pass me a needle" (correct or incorrect)

"get me a needle"(correct or incorrect)

 

[Rover_KE]

"Pass me a needle." Correct.
"Get me a needle." Correct.
"Reach me a needle." Correct.


Rover

 

[ostap77]

"Pass me a needle." Correct.
"Get me a needle." Correct.
"Reach me a needle." Correct.


Rover

So the person who told me that, to put it mildly, might have been mistaken?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes.

 

[ostap77]

Yes.

Thank you.:up:

 

[riquecohen]

"Pass me a needle." Correct.
"Get me a needle." Correct.
"Reach me a needle." Correct.


Rover

"Reach me a needle?" How is this correct?

 

[SoothingDave]

It must be a British thing.

 

[BobK]

:up: The needle has to be out of the speaker's reach. It often - but not so much with 'needle' - collocates with "down". MrsK often says 'Reach me down that X', where X is a thing on a high shelf.

b

 

[ostap77]

"Reach me a needle?" How is this correct?

I got the same kind of feeling. I've been told that for some reason you can't ask someone to pass or get a needle for, only reach. Sounds kind of weird.

 

[BobK]

Perhaps the teacher who said 'get me a needle' was incorrect may have been suffering from an old blanket prescription against using 'get' because 'there's always a better verb'. this shibboleth prevents repetitious writing along the lines of 'I got up and I got dressed and when I got downstairs mum had got me breakfast and then I got on the bus. When I got to school, Mrs X said we had all got to...' etc. However, it also rules out many perfectly natural and appropriate uses of 'get'.

b

 

[ostap77]

Pass or get me a needle is common. Also I am used to hearing, "Hand me a needle." Reach me a needle is odd in the US.

Appreciate your comment Gillnetter:up: