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As many of you know, there is a famous song by the Beatles entitled Love Me Do. Nevertheless, I have some doubts about the correctness of such a title.

Does "love me do" mean the same as "love me" or is the verb do acting as some type of intensifier in the sentence in question?

Thanks in advance for your replies!

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    Standard orthography would point this "Love me, do." Do is a reiterative tacked on to insist on the request: Love me. Do so. Really. May 4, 2014 at 2:23
  • Visit English Language Learners do.
    – Kris
    May 4, 2014 at 5:24
  • @Kris: Do you really think that ESL learners are taught all the nonstandard usages of every single English verb? May 5, 2014 at 5:17
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    @J.H.S. No, I don't. Which is what we have English Language Learners for. On ELU, this could be GR, because it is listed on TFD and reportedly on OED as well. If it's that easy-peasy would I have answered it here? My comment was a pun on the question, which seems to have been lost. All the same, enjoy!
    – Kris
    May 5, 2014 at 9:09

2 Answers 2

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Just for record and the OP's benefit:

se16teddy on wordreference forum (cited by ThirdNews on this page):

The OED gives the following examples of do being added to an imperative for emphasis (meaning 30b of the verb do).

'1611 SHAKES. Wint. T. V. iii. 144 Giue me the lie, do. 1775 SHERIDAN Duenna II. iv, Get in, do. 1838 DICKENS O. Twist lii, Let me say a prayer. Do! 1930 D. L. SAYERS Strong Poison ix. 112 'Ev another crumpet, do, Mr. Bunter.'

When used these days, it in normally intended to suggest an archaic or unduly refined speech pattern.

AHD 2000 cited in TFD:

v.intr. 6. Used after another verb for emphasis: Run quickly, do!

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  • @ThirdNews The usage is archaic/ literary/ overly formal -- so not many know that it is nothing irregular, just rare now. You could just comment that it was GR instead. By the way, you have a nice reference but hidden under the link.
    – Kris
    May 4, 2014 at 5:45
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It means you are a Beatles fan ;-)

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  • Incidentally, that idiom has been around much before the Beatles's fans.
    – Kris
    May 4, 2014 at 5:48
  • Beatles's, Precious? May 4, 2014 at 9:31

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