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? :-D

 

[whl626]

Hmm, this is what I had in mind. Thanks

How's the site going ? Usingenglish is way ahead of English Daily for sure . 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.