0

I learned from this tutorial that there are three forms of phrasal verbs:

  1. verb + adverb
  2. verb + preposition
  3. verb + adverb + preposition

And I find two phrases online, namely "loop someone in" and "loop someone into a discussion", and then I think "loop someone in" follows the first structure while "loop someone into a discussion" the second.

My questions are the following:

  1. Am I right in the above analysis?
  2. is the second one("loop someone into a discussion") idiomatic?
  3. if the second one is idiomatic, is "loop someone into chatting" idiomatic?
  4. can the above three phrases be used in the context that someone invites me into a WhatsApp group?
  5. if they are appropriate in the above context, are these three sayings idiomatic? a. "Thanks for looping me in"; b. "Thanks for looping me into this chat group"; c. "Thanks for looping me into this discussion"
Improve this question
4
  • 2
    I'm not familiar with the way you're using loop as a verb here. The long-established idiom is [keeping / bringing someone] into the loop. My advice is you should avoid looping someone in and stick with the established idiom.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jul 25 at 14:55
  • ...assuming the usage exists at all, there's no difference between to loop someone in and to loop someone into a discussion. Except the obvious - if you don't explicitly specify "discussion", the thing that someone is being "kept in the loop on" could be plans, developments, news or something else.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jul 25 at 16:16
  • 1
    Loop as a verb in this fashion is reasonably common, particularly in some business environments, I would say.
    – Jack Aidley
    Jul 25 at 16:36
  • 1
    My experience with loop someone in doesn't mean involving them in a particular physical discussion - it means adding them to the the group of people who share a piece of knowledge or are contributing to a body of work. So "loop someone into chatting" doesn't work; "loop someone into a discussion" only works when "discussion" means an ongoing and intermittent discussion.
    – Canadian Yankee
    Jul 25 at 16:53

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

Here's the relevant usage chart...

enter image description here

Almost certainly the less common form would be understood in context. Note that you don't bring/keep someone in the loop of a discussion (they're either party to the discussion or not). But you might keep them in the loop regarding the matter being discussed. Being kept in the loop means being kept informed - which is often a looser relationship than being actively involved in discussions, plans, etc.

My advice is you should avoid looping someone in and stick with the established idiom, but that's just my advice - you can see what most people do, so make your own choice. But bear in mind all variants are informal.

Improve this answer
1

  • You are correct about the forms of the phrasals - the first is form (1), and the second is form (2).

  • Your meaning will be understood if you say "loop someone into", but it is probably less common. However, you want to "loop them into the chat", not "loop them into chatting". "Loop in" this way has a sense of connecting with or making a part of, not of convincing or causing to act.

  • It's appropriate to use this in the context of any discussion, including your WhatsApp. It can imply a sense of planning or professionalism - you'll hear it the most when people who work in an office or in a business are speaking about adding someone to ongoing future communications.

  • Your responses (a) and (c) are appropriate, will be understood, and sound correct. However, it's more common to say "Thanks for adding me to this chat group" than "Thanks for looping me in to this chat group".

Hope this answers your questions! (By the way, it's preferred to ask a single question in a post, and not a series of questions...)

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .