Do me a favour!

[Tom]

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

Yes, they mean the same and simply mean: please me and take or please me by taking.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Phrasal Verbs/take

[Jamie (K)]

When I read these words:

Do me a favor and take this tea.
Do me a favor by taking this tea.

I get the idea that the speaker dislikes and doesn't want the tea and wants someone else to take it away from him. It's something like...

Do me a favor and take these cookies home. If you don't, I'll eat all of them myself.

"Do me a favor" usually involves someone going to some trouble for the person making the request, either to make him happy, or to take some problem away from him. It's not usually used when offering hospitality, at least in my part of the world.

[Mister Micawber]

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[Yankee]

Hi Tom

My understanding would also be that your sentences have nothing to do with the speaker hospitably offering tea. The speaker is requesting someone to do something (in command form).

I agree with MM --- without any other context, it sounds like the speaker wants someone to carry a cup of tea or maybe the teapot.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Tom]

Many, many thanks to all of you!

Amy, why do you think Alan agreed with me first? Or maybe he also took the same meaning that you people have taken!

Tom

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

I'm sorry I don't seem to have made myself clear. What I said was: Do me a favour means please me. (Please in this sense is do something to help me)

You therefore have two constructions:

Do me a favour and do something for me like: Do me a favour and help me lift this bag

or

Do me a favour by doing something for me like: Do me a favour by lifting these bags for me.

I can't really see how this can be misconstrued or convoluted, can you?

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story The Name of the Game

[Mister Micawber]

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