# Can you depart someone or do you have to depart from someone?



## BWFoster78 (Feb 15, 2013)

Always seeking to elimate words...

Ashley departed Xan.  

OR

Ashley departed from Xan.

?

Thanks!

BTW, almost a year on the site, I finally loaded an avatar!


----------



## SeverinR (Feb 15, 2013)

I'm thinking you have to depart from, rather then depart someone. 
I'm not great with grammar(see sig) but I'm pretty sure on this one. Someone else will have to explain the rule.

Thought about it more,
You can depart a general place and it works.
"I depart(ed) Germany at....", 
but I think if you leave someone or a specific place, you have to depart from them.
"we departed from the dock at.."


----------



## Steerpike (Feb 15, 2013)

Why not just say "Ashley left Xan?"


----------



## kevin-the-dragon (Feb 15, 2013)

hello I'm new to this and im wondering what is a post and how do you make them


----------



## kevin-the-dragon (Feb 15, 2013)

and also where do you put stuff you wrote at??


----------



## Butterfly (Feb 15, 2013)

Post as in 'Post quick reply.'Right now... you've made 2 posts. When you get to 5 check out the showcase and start a new thread. Sometimes though the system is a bit slow to recognise the five and give you access,but you'll get there.


----------



## thenavdeepdahiya (Feb 15, 2013)

Departed from means going away from or leaving the person
Depart someone is seeing off someone


----------



## kevin-the-dragon (Feb 15, 2013)

Kk thanks i hop i get 5 soon


----------



## kevin-the-dragon (Feb 15, 2013)

Btw how do u get a higher reputation


----------



## Steerpike (Feb 15, 2013)

You can post your own thread for questions about how the forum works. Please do not derail a thread started by another member with these sorts of questions. This thread is directed to answering or discussing the question posed by the person who started the thread, and to comments related to that subject matter.


----------



## kevin-the-dragon (Feb 15, 2013)

how do you post threads??


----------



## kevin-the-dragon (Feb 15, 2013)

how do you post threads and im sorry BWFoster78 for  derailing your thread


----------



## Steerpike (Feb 15, 2013)

Click on the forum you want to post in and then look for the "Post New Thread" button.


----------



## BWFoster78 (Feb 15, 2013)

Steerpike said:


> Why not just say "Ashley left Xan?"



Cause I'm more interested in whether "departed" requires "from" than I am in trying to figure out the best phrasing.


----------



## BWFoster78 (Feb 15, 2013)

thenavdeepdahiya said:


> Departed from means going away from or leaving the person
> Depart someone is seeing off someone



That second kinda makes sense, but I don't think I've ever heard it used the way.  What's your source?

Thanks.


----------



## Steerpike (Feb 15, 2013)

BWFoster78 said:


> Cause I'm more interested in whether "departed" requires "from" than I am in trying to figure out the best phrasing.



It doesn't require "from," necessarily, but it is generally used in reference to a place when used without it, in my experience.

Departed from Xan, sounds OK to me, though not great.

"Departed Xan" would catch my attention and make me wonder whether the author was using it right.

I suppose you could use "the" instead of from, in some instances, like "Ashley departed the others." But I still don't think that sounds great. Not the best word choice when using it in relation to people, in my view. It works better by leaving the name or indication of other people off entirely. Just say "Ashley departed." Since we know she was with Xan, we know who she's leaving. I'm using that as an illustration to address the point generally.


----------



## BWFoster78 (Feb 15, 2013)

You're right in that neither way seems to be working; I may be forced to change the wording.

I can't just go "Ashley departed" because I have a scene break and need to link her departure back to the end of the previous scene.


----------



## T.Allen.Smith (Feb 15, 2013)

BWFoster78 said:


> Ashley departed Xan.


Sounds like she forced Xan to go somewhere or maybe even killed him. This sentence, although more economical in word count, is vague. It is unclear whether Ashley left or if Xan was forced to leave...or worse.



BWFoster78 said:


> Ashley departed from Xan.


By using one more word in this version, the reader clearly understands that Ashley is the one who left Xan's presence.

Economy of words can be a worthy goal unless taken too far. However.... Clarity is King!


----------



## Alex97 (Feb 15, 2013)

I think you need to use 'from' in this case.  However, like a few others have said, I would use another word like 'left' or split the sentence in two.

Alternatively you could say: 'Ashley departed, leaving Xan on his own.'  Although I doubt that's a great option if you are aiming for an economy of words.


----------



## jillianlove (Feb 15, 2013)

thenavdeepdahiya said:


> Departed from means going away from or leaving the person
> Depart someone is seeing off someone


this one makes sense to me. departed from sounds like the way to go. although, just saying 'left' would be short and sweet but not as famous poetic sounding.


----------



## Jamber (Feb 15, 2013)

Hi BWFoster78,
If had to choose one of yours I'd go with 'departed from' (though to me it somehow sounds a little impersonal -- we tend to depart from a place more than a person).

Whatever the case, I can't help feeling the word 'departed' is a little bland. All it tells us is that one character left another; it says nothing about his manner or mood. Is there a more descriptive verb you could use? Obviously it would depend on context, but 'stalked off', 'swivelled' if he isn't going far, 'hunched away' if moody, are examples of the sorts of ideas I mean.

Sorry if this is going into wordiness. By all means write the way you like best, these are just my thoughts.

regards,
Jennie


----------



## advait98 (Feb 16, 2013)

guessing the context of the phrase, I'd go for 'departing from'.


----------



## wordwalker (Feb 16, 2013)

But, is it okay to say "(Person) departed (place)"? --since I think we've been talking about "Xan" as a _person_ someone leaves.


----------



## Jamber (Feb 16, 2013)

Yes: 'John departed Hobart for Sydney on September 18th'. Works for me.


----------



## advait98 (Feb 18, 2013)

advait98 said:


> guessing the context of the phrase, I'd go for 'departing from'.



Edit: making an educated guess about the context of the phrase from your earlier posts about your story, I'd go for 'departing from'.


----------



## Anders Ã„mting (Feb 18, 2013)

To me, "departing someone" sounds like slang for assassination. Kinda like how you might "disappear" someone.

"Tony, bring your gun. The Don has requested we _depart _Fat Eddie."


----------



## wordwalker (Feb 18, 2013)

Anders Ã„mting said:


> To me, "departing someone" sounds like slang for assassination. Kinda like how you might "disappear" someone.
> 
> "Tony, bring your gun. The Don has requested we _depart _Fat Eddie."



Agreed. 

Joking aside, I'm not sure if I've ever heard "Depart (a person)" actually used, and the more readers who've had the same (lack of) experience, the more times the line would fail whether it's grammatical or not. And distractions don't have to be fair, it's the unfairness that makes them hurt the writing.


----------



## Nebuchadnezzar (Feb 18, 2013)

> Joking aside, I'm not sure if I've ever heard "Depart (a person)" actually used, and the more readers who've had the same (lack of) experience, the more times the line would fail whether it's grammatical or not.



I'm another one who can't recall hearing "Depart (a person)" used.  It always seems to be used in reference to a place ("Departed from Sydney") or a mode of transportation ("We departed on the train").  The exception is occasionally you hear "Depart this life" which I guess isn't a place, person or mode of transportation.


----------

