Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

Jack gave Billy a glass of some drink and asked him to add couple of ice cubes to it. Billy took the glass and went to the kitchen. Moments later he came back with the same glass of drink and some ice in it.

Should I use with or and?

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

You can use and. Using and in the sentence you wrote, both these sentences would be true:

  • He came back with a glass containing something to drink.
  • He came back with some ice in the glass.

You could also use with.

share|improve this answer
I said "both these sentences would be true"; in the sentence you wrote, it should be clear that the ice is in the same glass containing the drink, when you use and. – kiamlaluno Jul 26 '11 at 5:19
Yes, but I am afraid that your first sentence could also mean that Billy didn't actually add any ice to the drink, not? And your second sentence could also mean that Billy had poured the drink out of the glass and then just put some ice into it, not? – brilliant Jul 26 '11 at 5:19
oh, I see. Thank you! – brilliant Jul 26 '11 at 5:20
up vote 3 down vote

"with". And while "drink" can be used as a noun, no native speaker actually does so except in an abstract context ("Would you like another drink?" "Can I buy you a drink?"). Once there's a specific drink, it's called whatever it is, water, liquor, &c.

share|improve this answer
"Once there's a specific drink, it's called whatever it is, water, liquor, &c." But what if you were just sitting there in that eatery and witnessed that scene, but you were not sitting close enough, so you had no way of making out what type of drink exactly it was? Imagine, now you are telling your friend about what has happened there. As a native speaker, how would you describe that whole scene to your friend then? – brilliant Jul 26 '11 at 4:56
A more likely native speaker utterance: Jack gave Billy a glass of something and asked him to add a couple of ice cubes. Billy took it to the kitchen. Moments later he brought it back with ice in it. – mgkrebbs Jul 26 '11 at 5:01
@mgkrebbs - Thank you!!!! – brilliant Jul 26 '11 at 5:18
+1 for explaing better than I could exactly why a glass of drink is not standard English. – FumbleFingers Jul 26 '11 at 14:22

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.