Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!swatt From: swatt@ittvax.UUCP (Alan S. Watt) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: reposting of Bi-directional verbs Message-ID: <1287@ittvax.UUCP> Date: Mon, 13-Feb-84 16:16:42 EST Article-I.D.: ittvax.1287 Posted: Mon Feb 13 16:16:42 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 15-Feb-84 00:49:02 EST References: linus.703 Lines: 9 Actually, even withing academia, there are several more which suggest themselves from your original example of "John failed his science class". One is "to pass", as in "John passed his science class". Another is "to graduate", as in "John graduated his science class", although this one strains common usage more. I was always taught that only institutions "graduate" in the active voice, individuals "are graduated", but I suspect this usage has slipped. If you have an O.E.D. handy, (I don't), you might check to see if "fail" and "pass" were under a similar distinction in earlier days.