Transitive or Intransitive?

Did you ever do parsing at school? It is important for the clergy (and registrars) to know the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. As in "I am going to marry you in the morning." Done intransitively one has made binding oaths. Transitively one can marry dozens of people without affecting ones own status.

I was surprised to read that when RL Ashcroft wrote his history of Haileybury to 1961 he could note that there had only been to that date, two weddings in the Chapel. (Correctly they were by Archbishop's Special Licence.) There are now a few weddings  each year I think. Some years ago I married a contemporary of mine in the chapel. (Transitively!)

Tomorrow I have been persuaded by the youngest one to brave the crowds in town for the Royal Wedding. The two Haileyburians are moaning that the school is working through the bank holiday. In 1983 the Royal Wedding was in the holidays so the problem did not arise.

God Bless the  Royal Couple and all those others preparing for Holy Matrimony.