Graduating FROM High School and College

Graduating FROM High School and College Graduating FROM High School and College Graduating FROM High School and College By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, When did it become acceptable to drop the preposition after the verb graduate, as in â€Å"I graduated high school in 2000†? This nonstandard usage has become common in colloquial speech, but it is still not acceptable in formal English. The American dictionary Merriam-Webster includes an example from ESPN that suggests that dropping the from is acceptable: †¦ smiling like dudes whove just graduated college or just reached the legal drinking age †¦ - Jeff Bradley, ESPN, 23 Aug. 1999. However, the American style guide published by the Associated Press rejects this usage: Graduate [verb] is correctly used in the active voice: She graduated from the university. It is correct, but unnecessary, to use the passive voice: He was graduated from the university. Do not, however, drop from: John Adams graduated from Harvard. Not: John Adams graduated Harvard. Other respected American commenters on usage also reject the nonstandard form: You can’t â€Å"graduate college† anymore than you can â€Å"go college† or â€Å"arrive college.† In this instance, the verb â€Å"to graduate† is acting as an intransitive verb, and intransitive verbs cannot take on an object.- dmatriccino, Writer’s Digest. If you go around saying you graduated college, you sound illiterate.- Grammar Girl. In certain dialects (notably that of New York City), it is common to say, â€Å"He is going to graduate high school in June† rather than the more standard â€Å"graduate from.† When writing for a national or international audience, use the â€Å"from.†- Paul Brians, Common Errors in English Usage. In a Web search, the nonstandard form outstrips the standard form, but in the Ngram database of printed books, â€Å"graduated from† prevails. In an academic context, schools graduate students, but students graduate from schools. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial ExpressionsUsing the Active Voice to Strengthen Your WritingJanuary 1 Doesn't Need an "st"