[Grammar] "The text informs about?"

[Hever]

German students love to write "The text informs about ..." when summing up the contents of a newspaper article. Since "inform" is a transitive verb, I always mark this wrong. Some colleagues, however, seem to accept it. Am I too pedantic? Can you leave out who is informed?

 

[teechar]

"The text informs about ..."

Classic case of misusing a reporting verb!

Am I too pedantic?

Not at all; you're just being correct. :up:

 

[emsr2d2]

Are your colleagues who accept it native English speakers?

 

[Hever]

Great. Thank you for your quick reply.

 

[Hever]

Well, no. They are German English teachers. The point is that inform can be both transitive and intransitive in German, so it is rather tempting to forget the object now and again.
Thank you for taking an interest. ;-)

 

[Tdol]

If you hear an error often enough, it stops sounding wrong. I have been asked What means xxx? so often that it sounds normal to me and I have to remind myself that it's wrong. Maybe your colleagues have been overexposed to this form if students love it. :up:

 

[MikeNewYork]

Actually, "inform" can be used intransitively in English. I would not have used the construction in the OP's post, but the intransitive use exists.

See here: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/inform