Agree with

As it was pointed out in section 5, there are two kinds of prepositional objects occurring together with the prepositional verb agree with – some have human, the others non-human reference. Let us consider examples (42) and (43) that highlight this difference:

(42) The Duke of Argyll said, “Such a list was a libel on the government,” and of all men, the Duke of Newcastle was the man who rose up and agreed with him… (Walpole: Letters)

(43) Amelia did not seem to agree with these sentiments, and she greatly importuned Mrs. Ellison to be more explicit, but to no purpose… (Fielding: Amelia)

In sentence (42) the prepositional object (i.e. him) has human reference and thus expresses that someone (or something) is in harmony with people. As for sentence (43), the prepositional object has non-human reference (i.e. these sentiments) and thus describes that someone (or something) is in unison with ideas. When analysing cases with the prepositional verb agree with, I sorted them into two groups using the human or the non-human reference of the prepositional object as the distinctive criterion. The results are given in the following table:

Part I: 1710-1780 Part II: 1780-1850 Part III: 1850-1920 Pattern Occurrences

Table 14: The distribution of prepositional objects with human and non-human reference in the CLMET data

It seems that there are two main trends here: firstly, in each of the three sets [+HUMAN]

prepositional objects are preferred to [-HUMAN] ones and secondly, cases with a human

prepositional object are on the increase, whereas the occurrences of those with non-human reference are getting fewer.

What is also noteworthy about instances with the prepositional verb agree with is that it is often the case that the verb agree does not merely settle for one complement only (that is, one prepositional object), but may actually take two of them. Consider the following sentences taken from the first (1710-1780) data set:

(44) But Cleanthes will, I hope, agree with me that after we have abandoned ignorance, the surest remedy, there is still one expedient left to prevent this profane liberty. (Hume: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion)

(45) He has a constitution to last some years, and enjoy some repose; and for my own part (and both my brothers agree with me in it), we wish most heartily to see an end of his ministry. (Walpole: Letters) (46) I agree with you extremely about Tuscany for Prince Charles, but I can only agree with you on paper, for as to knowing anything of it, I am sure Sir Robert himself knows nothing of it…(Walpole:

Letters)

(47) Now this last is the undisputed province of judgment, and yet some few men of wit have agreed with all the dull fellows in the world in representing these two to have been seldom or never property of one and the same person. (Fielding: Tom Jones)

In sentence (44) agree with is not just followed by a [+HUMAN] prepositional object (i.e. me), but it also complemented by the following that-clause. Sentences (45), (46) and (47), on the other hand, have each a further preposition and prepositional object (i.e. in it; about Tuscany; in representing these two). Such instances with two complementing elements are by no means rare with the prepositional verb agree with, as the following table shows:

Part I: 1710-1780 Part II: 1780-1850 Part III: 1850-1920 Agree with

Table 15: The occurrences of further complements with the prepositional verb agree with somebody

It seems that agree with followed by two complements is less popular during the second period (1780-1850), but that since then a rise takes place. The following examples are added to give more illustrations of such cases. The three first ones are taken from the second set and the four latter instances from the third part of the CLMET:

(48) My dear Sir, I agree with you that the song “Katharine Ogie” is very poor stuff, and unworthy, altogether unworthy, of so beautiful an air. (Burns: Letters)

(49) One thing I agree with you in, it will remain there for ever, but not very long. It festers, and consumes me. (Hazlitt: Liber Amoris)

(50) Oh, but you know I never agree with you on those pointes. (Brontë: Agnes Grey)

(51) And, perhaps, you will agree with me that the thread of comradeship and conversation must be protected because it is so frivolous. (Chesterton: What’s Wrong with the World)

(52) He is a man of business. I do not agree with him in his choice of ends, but he is an almost perfect master of methods and means. (Bagehott: The English Constitution)

(53) I told them that this state of things could be endured no longer, on which point they agreed with me, but saw no means to help it. (Blackmore: Lorna Doone)

(54) I agree with the late William Cobbett about picking a wife. See that she chews her food well and sets her foot down firmly on the ground when she walks…(Collins: The Moonstone)

All these examples having a [+HUMAN] prepositional object, one may wonder whether there are such cases when agree with something is followed by an additional complement. Indeed, to my great delight in the second (1780-1850) data set there is one instance of this kind:

(55)…in equal assimilation of languages to this parent stock becomes more clear and distinct; but still a dialect, agreeing with the Sanskrit in structure, in the arrangement of words, and in many instances in the words themselves, which, however modified, may still be… (Borrow: Bible in Spain)

However, this instance being the only one among all the 1132 analysed concordance lines, agree with seems to take rather rarely a [-HUMAN] prepositional object and an additional complement.

Moreover, two complements after the prepositional verb agree with is, in all probability, the absolute maximum – there are no tokens with three complements in the data and it is certainly difficult to think of one.

Although agree with something may be left in the shadow of agree with somebody, in each set there are instances representing the former. Sentences (56) and (57) are taken from the second set and sentences (58) and (59) from the third:

(56)…but I cannot quite agree with the admiration expressed by some travellers. (Darwin: Voyage of the Beagle)

(57)…they did not, in any part of their dress, agree with the picture her imagination had formed of fashionable ladies. (Edgeworth: The Parent’s Assistant)

(58) “Doctor,” said Sophia, solemnly, impressed, “you are quite right. I agree with every word you say.” (Bennett: The Old Wives’ Tale)

(59) Every animal will choose for its sustenance exactly those animal or vegetable substances which agree best with its digestive organs…(Butler: Unconscious Memory)

However, the use of agree with together with a non-human prepositional object is getting more and more rare – in the first set there are 12.9 occurrences per million words, whereas that in the third set is only 4.8.