Talk:help

Translation links?

there is something getting wrong here - shouldn't the tranlations link to the very page in the corresponding language?

unsigned comment: 12:36, August 27, 2004 213.23.198.191

No. They link to the page here, where the term is explained in English. --Connel MacKenzie T C 02:21, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

Link to Help?

• Should this page have a ===See also=== that links to the Help: namespace? --Connel MacKenzie T C 02:21, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

Intransitive, right?

I added these three quotes, but I believe I should move the third one to the intransitive section, because it only has an indirect object. Right?

1. (transitive) To provide assistance to (someone or something).

   He helped his grandfather.

   He helped his grandfather cook breakfast.

   He helped cook breakfast.

DanwWiki2 13:42, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

This doesn't really fit the typical grammatical patterns. The sentence is a single clause with two verbs. Most other verbs would require the word "to" separating them, as the infinitive, or otherwise a gerund, functionally a noun, following. So I wouldn't worry too much about whether it is "transitive" or "intransitive" as it's not universally clear how the labels break down in such cases. Now go help check something else! 59.112.33.190 01:43, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

More relevant, is that the {{transitive}} and {{intransitive}} are only supposed to be used for definitions that cannot be used either way. On the other hand, I've never been convinced they are useful tags at all. (Intransitive, perhaps, but transitive is never useful as a label.) --Connel MacKenzie 08:26, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

Please Enlighten Me

Which of the senses listed-- if any-- covers the usage of help in the sentence, "It helps that he's with us"?

The second one: It contributes in some way that he’s with us. —Stephen 19:40, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Which one is correct?

By help from or with help of.

With help of - more than 1 000 000 hits on google. By help from - about 16 000 hits on google.

Are the expressions used at different occasions?

--130.240.132.161 09:38, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

Yes, different occasions. They are not interchangeable. —Stephen 12:47, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

The following information has failed Wiktionary's deletion process.

It should not be re-entered without careful consideration.

---

help

Interjection sense, "I/we desperately need assistance!", seems like either the noun ("assistance!") or the (imperative) verb ("assist!"). If the community agrees with that assessment, then the listed synonym (mayday) can be listed under "see also" instead and the translations moved to sub mayday or SOS if relevant (or in lemma form to sub the noun or verb, if that's what they are).​—msh210℠ (talk) 03:29, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Weirdly, I don't interpret this as a noun or as a verb, but as an interjection. Don't ask me why, I don't know. Mglovesfun (talk) 11:32, 14 January 2012 (UTC)

In German, the normal cry for help is Hilfe and in Dutch hulp also occurs. This may mean that the English term is also a noun in origin, but that it has fallen together with the imperative in form. —CodeCat 15:04, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

After his stroke, my father had trouble standing up, and needed assistance rising when he fell. When he shouted "help!", it sounded to me like an imperative. ~ Robin 18:15, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

I definitely think it's the verb. You can also say "Somebody help!", which is one of the relatively rare cases in English that an imperative has an explicit subject other than "you". —Ruakh_TALK 14:52, 4 February 2012 (UTC)

Delete per Ruakh. — Ungoliant ^(Falai) 01:13, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Delete It's a verb used as a complete sentence. That is not an interjection. DCDuring TALK 20:07, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Oh go on then. Mglovesfun (talk) 20:09, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

deleted -- Liliana • 10:59, 16 September 2012 (UTC)

Use as interjection?

The entry does not list the use of "help" as an interjection (a call for assistance, often written with an exclamation), such as in the phrase "Help! My dog has escaped." or as used as the very first word of the famous song by The Beatles. --hydrox (talk) 15:13, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

See the deletion vote just above this section. — Ungoliant ^(Falai) 15:15, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

The deletion was closed, but no example was added for the very common use I demonstrated above. Would it go under Etymology 2 / Verb / 3. (intransitive) To provide assistance, but used in the imperative mood? --hydrox (talk) 02:13, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

You can start a new discussion WT:RFD here to ask for its undeletion. If you want, I can do it for you. — Ungoliant ^(Falai) 03:28, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

Thank you, but I think I am satisfied with as it stands. I added an example and a usage note showing that the intransitive verb is often used in imperative. Comparing with run, this seems to be a wider trend in Wiktionary, although some online sources seem to consider "help!" and "run!" interjections. But neither OED or Merriam-Webster list them as such. I don't have the knowledge to argue either way. --hydrox (talk) 11:56, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

"euphemistic"

/* Noun */ Sense 5, "Correction of deficits...", is certainly not always euphemistic; witness the first & third examples:

1. (uncountable, euphemistic) Correction of deficits, as by psychological counseling or medication or social support or remedial training.

   His suicide attempts were a cry for help.

   He really needs help in handling customer complaints.

   "He's a real road-rager." / "Yup, he really needs help, maybe anger management."

Examples 1 and 3 are not euphemisms for anything. #3 seems to be disparaging of the person referred to ("road-rager"), but anger management is a genuine form of behavioral help. #2 could easily be both disparaging and euphemistic: the person is not doing his job well, and the speaker may be thinking "His manager should straighten him out." But I don't think euphemism ("A term that is less vulgar or less offensive than the one it replaces.") deserves mention here at all, and I'm taking it out. --Thnidu (talk) 22:00, 9 May 2018 (UTC)

healp

The past tense of help, formerly healp, became helped, and the past tense of step, formerly stop, became stepped --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:40, 25 July 2020 (UTC)

​[singular] a person or thing that helps somebody ; home help

​ [singular] a person or thing that helps somebody

She was more of a hindrance than a help.
It's a great help having you around.
Your advice was a big help.
a help to somebody She's been a big help to her father.
(ironic) You're a great help, I must say!

​the help [uncountable + singular or plural verb] (especially North American English) the person or people employed by somebody to clean their house, etc.

(British English, becoming old-fashioned)
​a person whose job is to help old or sick people with cooking, cleaning, etc.
My grandmother had a home help who came and cleaned twice a week.

--Backinstadiums (talk) 18:25, 16 August 2020 (UTC)

It can also take the bare infinitive with no change in meaning.

What is the historical reason for this? What other verbs show the same pattern? --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:14, 29 August 2020 (UTC)

Audio

• Audio (southern England)

  (file)

JJ72 Bassist (talk) 13:46, 12 February 2023 (UTC)