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Apr 28, 2015 09:52
9 yrs ago
English term

relevant: can it be used predicatively without an object

English Art/Literary Linguistics usage
In the corporate usage of a certain multinational, the word "relevant" is very often used predicatively, BUT without an an indirect object that I feel accurate usage mandates (i.e. a phrase might run "..to stay/remain relevant", not "relevant TO something")

Question: how ok is that?))
Responses
5 +6 sure
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): Yvonne Gallagher

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Discussion

Carol Gullidge Apr 28, 2015:
That usage is still OK even if it doesn't really mean a lot, it still does to marketing circles :) It would mean somewhat more than I suggest above, perhaps something along the lines of "highly visible", "at the cutting edge", etc, but I'm not going to go into all the marketing possibilities right now…
danya (asker) Apr 28, 2015:
surely it's not a verb) I am talking about predicative usage.
Usage samples:
"We need to be more proactive to remain relevant"
"To make sure we are relevent as a company ..."
Carol Gullidge Apr 28, 2015:
in which case, it would mean something like pertinent, a propos, germane,… but relevant on its own like this is perfectly OK, imo
Carol Gullidge Apr 28, 2015:
But, yes… something can remain relevant, where what it is relevant to is understood
Carol Gullidge Apr 28, 2015:
I'm not sure I totally understand the question, but "relevant" is an adjective, not a verb, and therefore doesn't take either a direct or an indirect object.

Could you provide some of the examples in the text that are puzzling you?

Responses

+6
54 mins
Selected

sure

Definitely okay. See examples below:

I don’t think his remarks are relevant (to our discussion).
Critics may find themselves unable to stay relevant in a changing world.
One hallmark of an exceptional work of art is its ability to remain relevant.

Reference: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/relevan...

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Note added at 1 hr (2015-04-28 11:03:15 GMT)
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Just like Tony said, there would always be an implied object. However, it is not compulsory to make it explicit in your sentence since the reader could get that based on the context.
Reference:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-french/relevant

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/relevant?s=t

Note from asker:
your examples do contain indirect objects/modifiers, don't they)
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : Yes, there is always an implied indirect object, even if it is an extermely broad one.
7 mins
agree Christine Andersen
21 mins
agree Yvonne Gallagher : very commonly used alone
31 mins
agree magdadh
3 hrs
agree Tushar Deep
4 hrs
agree Teresa Reinhardt : yep, just like remaining young/healthy [or lots of other adjectives]
1 day 19 hrs
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2 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you"
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