Sweater Thursday!

Sarah, your pupils are huge! Did you just go to the eye doctor or something??

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Clearly that’s from the flash.

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Mike, the pic’s not bad but the lighting sucks. You look jaundiced.

Rob’s meal does in fact sound great. But one does not partake “in.” One partakes “of.” (the Grammar Goddess has returned mwa-ha-ha-ha)

Sarah’s sweater is quite nice. Yellow is the new green.

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Nope, I just have eyes that are frequently more dilated than they should be. Even the eye doctor marvels, and I once had a doctor I was sitting next to on a plane inquire about whether I’d had a traumatic brain injury.

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Dear self-proclaimed Grammar Goddess,

I’m afraid you’re going to have to cite your source on this one. I checked with numerous online grammar websites and found references to both types of usage.

This first link mentions “partake in” specifically.

This next link has a number of usage examples of the word “partake” organized by the following preposition. According to this website, I also did no wrong. In fact, the author makes reference to partaking in beverages specifically. Also, from this website I’d guess that there are all sorts of words that can follow the word ‘partake.’

These two links define the phrase “partake in.”

Finally, this is a good website too.

Yours,
Mike D.

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Dear Mike D,

Actually Patrick gave me that nickname. Also seasonally I am the Grammar Grinch.

Based on those links, it seems that consensus has yet to be reached. The first link says that both are technically correct per usage, but does not refute that “partake in” sounds weird. The second link suggests that “partake in” refers to activity in general whereas “partake of” refers to the consumption of food. The third and fourth links further complicate the matter by making the meaning per your usage that Rob was active in a Black Forest milkshake, or was sharing it. Admittedly he may have been sharing it, but the picture does not indicate this.

Your final link, which I’ve seen before, presents no problem as I made no errors in my initial corrective post. I did, however, use the wrong form of the word “to/too” elsewhere on this site. As students of mythology will tell you, goddesses may be immortal and prone to otherworldly gorgeousness, but they are not immune to making mistakes.

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I reckon your brain is traumatized every time you play the flute.

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I have a comment sweater, no camera today. I’m wearing a black v-neck. (Also is it obvious by my prolific commenting recently that I don’t have anything to do yet at my new job?!)

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I’m happy to not have partaken in this conversation.

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I’m actually wearing a sweater today too! I guess comment-sweaters are okay? This one is gray and shirt-shaped, and that seems to be all I need to say. Okay!

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Huh. I wore a sweater today too, and normally I don’t participate in Sweater Thursday on principle.

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Somewhere around here I have a sweater vest. That would sort of count. I may or may not wear it on a Thursday.

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If only I had a nickle for every ounce of truth in that statement.

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