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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Call on someone - usage
Call on someone - usage
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Gi2gi
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Call on someone - usage
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I compiled a list of phrasal verbs a while ago, which included "call on someone" meaning to "visit someone". The example I gave for the verb is: "We called on you last night but you weren �t home." A native speaker commented on a FB group that the example sounds unnatural and the verb wouldn �t be used in this way. I would love to hear your comments, does the example sound "unnatural" to your native ears? Cheers, Giorgi
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25 Jan 2018
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[email protected]
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I have to disagree with the FB User, I would definitely say this - and have. |
25 Jan 2018
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cunliffe
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Hello dear Giorgi. It �s fine. To �call on � is to �drop by � - is that more American? - just go round and take your chances on whether someone is in. In my neck of the woods, we are more likely to say �call round �. �Call round any time! � When I was a nipper, back in the Dark Ages , we used to �call for � each other, and that was literal. You would stand outside your friend �s house and call their name until they came out. And I guess that is the derivation of the phrase. |
25 Jan 2018
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Jayho
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It �s a bit formal, but it �s fine. Dropped by is the informal version. |
25 Jan 2018
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redcamarocruiser
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To me �call on� means to choose a student to respond to a question in the classroom.
But it would be understood contextually, how you meant it.
Maybe it is only not common in the US, since the colleagues � flags are not American. |
25 Jan 2018
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douglas
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It �s a BE - AE thing. In BE "call-on" is a pretty common way to say "visit", it �s much rarer in AE (but used sometimes). In AE "call-on" is usually what the teacher does in the classroom when s/he wants you to provide your input to the current subject. |
26 Jan 2018
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Gi2gi
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Thank you, dear colleagues,your helpful comments are much appreciated. |
26 Jan 2018
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