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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > GATHER
GATHER
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...Alena...
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GATHER
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Good evening everyone, is it correct to say "to gather mushrooms"? Thanks a lot. |
15 Oct 2010
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...Alena...
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Lucky you are!
But did you gather berries this summer? What did you gather?
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15 Oct 2010
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moravc
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Somebody gathered... eg. People gathered around the injured boy.
The gathering = the crowd of people
1. To cause to come together; convene: The teacher gathered the students around the exhibit. 2.a. To accumulate (something) gradually; amass: The top of the bookshelf gathered dust.2b. To harvest or pick: gather flowers; gather wild foods.
I gathered sticks for the fire.
I gathered stones here for souvenirs.
I gathered the courage.
I gathered lots of positive energy.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gather
So I suppose it �s ok to day "I gathered flowers / wild foods."
But I HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT... It seems a bit old-fashioned, literary phrase found in old books...
I gathered wild greens and made a delicious salad with flowers for flavor
I gathered wild mushrooms
In the evening I gathered wild oats
I gathered wild herbs and lit beeswax candles
I gathered wild mallow mallow.
I usually hear "gather the cattle" - make the cows to come close to each other (before moving them to another pasture)
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15 Oct 2010
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MarionG
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In my opinion it is perfectly OK to say "to gather mushrooms", not old fashioned at all..
�To gather � may have a bit of a hint of �looking for � as Mariethe mentioned, but it definitely includes collecting after you �ve found them...So even if you go with Mariethe �s take on it, it still holds for mushrooms. You can of course pick them but since often you need to first look for them so the verb to �gather � is very appropriate.
It can also be used for collecting loads of other things:
"I�m sorry I�m late, I still had to gather my papers before I could come down here" |
15 Oct 2010
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...Alena...
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Thank you dear Moravc,
I must have checked the word in a dictionary before asking questions. Thank you so much. |
15 Oct 2010
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mish.cz
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Hello, Alena,�
you can also use the word "mushroom" itself as a verb describing �the activity ("we often go mushrooming") |
15 Oct 2010
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ueslteacher
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"Pick" is fine as long as you don �t feed someone �shrooms. Sophia |
15 Oct 2010
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MoodyMoody
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As a native American English speaker, I find nothing at all wrong with "gather mushrooms." To me at least, gather implies both searching for and picking mushrooms. Of course, "pick mushrooms" is also perfectly fine. However, you can pick mushrooms you grow, but probably not gather them from your own garden.
I �ve personally never heard of "mushroom" used to gather mushrooms, but I can see it. I have eard "berry" to mean to gather wild berries. However, if you �re going to mushroom in this sense, you �d better know what you �re doing. I �ll stick to the mushrooms I can buy at the market.
In American English, "to mushroom" means to grow rapidly or out of control, for example, "The number of contributions to ESLPrintalbles.com has mushroomed in the past few years." I �m not sure of the exact reason. It might be a reference to the shape of button or portpbello mushrooms (slender stem, large cap), or to an explosion (a mushroom cloud). |
15 Oct 2010
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...Alena...
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I �ve checked it in Longman �s dictionary, so it gives the second meaning as gather=pick (flowers, etc). I do hope "etc" includes mushrooms. Thanks to MarionG, mish.czall, ueslteacher, MoodyMoody, and to all of you!
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15 Oct 2010
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almaz
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Helena, you �re quite right: check the word in a good dictionary or other reputable source first and if you �re still not sure, ask on the forum. That �s one of the reasons it �s here.
As a wee bit of an �evangelical � descriptivist, I find it amusing the amount of people who come on the forum and ask for the meaning/usage of a particular word or expression without even taking the time to check more readily available and authoritative sources. Often by the time someone here answers your query satisfactorily, you could have nipped down to your local library, copied out several entries in longhand, gone for a pie and pint and still be home for a cup of tea and slice of cake. And of course, there are plenty of good dictionaries online (Merriam-Webster, for example) if you don �t have, or can �t be bothered to look for, a hard copy. |
15 Oct 2010
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