I`m part of the brass , never make the mistake of lumping me with the common herd.

My option, Mr Cao, Good Luck
Regards from Buenos Aires, Argentina

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2004-02-08 18:24:44 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Note:
Even though I am an experienced literary translator, and I have been an SAT/GRE/GMAT/LAM grammar teacher for 15 years or so, as well as native speaker of both English and Spanish (I was raised in an Irish speaking speaking environment plus many years residing L.A. California)...
....I still back every single kudoz answer I tackle with sound references...out of sheer respect to the askers and fellow prozies.


\"lump me with the common herd\"...... is correct\"



REFERENCES:

1.
Native American and prestigious author : Shirley Sloan Fader

in her Business article:
\"Boss Talk:What your boss is trying to tell you\" printed in the leading US magazine \"Cosmopolitan\" Fall issue, page 146, we read:


\" ...of lumping me with the common herd.\"


also,

2.
Funk and Wagnalls Standard College Dicitionary
(US leading college dictionary)

to lump:
1. to put together
2. to consider or treat as one mass, group , etc

i.e. : to lump all the facts together


The preposition \"In\" accompanies verb \"to put\" and phrasal
verb \"to put together\" but not verb \"to lump\"
as in my example.

\"...lumping me with the common herd\"

3.

Oxford, Advanced Learner´s Dictionary of Current English:
to lump (vt)
to put together in one;
include a number of things under one heading;
i.e.:
The boys agreed to lump the expenses of their camping holiday
with their tuition fees.

i.e.:
Can we lump all these items under the heading \"incidental expenses\"?


Lastly, I shall repeat:

The preposition \"in\" accompanies verb \"to put\" and phrasal
verb \"to put together\" but not verb \"to lump\"
as in my example...

...\"lumping me with the common herd\"


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2004-02-09 18:37:44 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Note:
My examples contain \"more\" than an X as in

e.g.:
can we lump all these items under the heading \"incidental
expenses\" ?
( x and Y) (items vs expenses)


e.g.:
The boys agreed to lump their expenses of their camping holidays with their tuition fees.
(x and y) (expenses vs tuition fees)


e.g.
of lumping me with the common herd
(x and y) (me vs the common herd)

: )))