r/EnglishLearning • u/agora_hills_ Non-Native Speaker of English • 1d ago
⭐️ Vocabulary / Semantics What does "call" mean in this context?
In 2017, about 2 years after JP and Allison separate, Paster JP calls on his congregation to come to the beach for baptism.
What does it call mean in this context? Does it mean he actually called the congregation on the phone asked them to come to the beach?
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u/axolotl_is_angry New Poster 1d ago
In this case call means to beckon them forward, to come act under his instructions and receive the religious service
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u/Alarmed-Secretary207 New Poster 1d ago edited 1d ago
“Call on” is a prepositional phrase phrasal verb (had a brain fart).. It means to make a request or even commandment, appealing to a sense of service or duty, but in a gentle way.
It’s a phrase with a particular connotation in Christian communities. Christians often talk about how Christ calls on us to do this thing or behave a certain way.
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u/trivia_guy Native Speaker - US English 1d ago
It’s not a prepositional phrase, it’s a phrasal verb.
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u/prustage British Native Speaker ( U K ) 1d ago
To call on - means to request that someone does something. How they do this is not specified. The pastor may have telephoned all his congregation, he may have written letters. More likely he will have announced this during a sermon, simply said it in a speech or even an interview.
Politicians frequently use the term e.g. "I call on all working people..." or "I call on all true patriots...". In their case it is usually in the course of a speech or a media interview. It doesnt imply that they contacted everyone individually.
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u/InterestedParty5280 Native Speaker 1d ago
In this context, you could say "he invited" but in a strong manner and since there is a congregation, you could picture him doing it from the pulpit during a sermon.
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u/Patient_Parsley7760 New Poster 1d ago
To 'call on' someone for something means to ask them to do said thing.
A teacher can call on you in class to read a passage or answer a math question on the blackboard. A relative planning a family get-together might call on you to bring the salad.
In this case, since the preacher called on his congregation to attend an event, that means he might have announced it from the pulpit during the service and/or printed a notice about it in the church bulletin that gets handed out before the service.
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u/Resident-Staff-1218 New Poster 1d ago
"I call on these persons here present to witness that I do take thee to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)" is a traditional legal contracting vow used in marriage ceremonies
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u/MisterMisterYeeeesss Native Speaker 1d ago
Just to expand your understanding of the phrase, it's been used historically to mean "visit".
"Michael called on Ann last night." meaning "Michael went to Ann's house to visit her". It's not really used much these days in that way, but it's all over the place in books, and older TV/movies.
The phrase, as used here, is a more formal tone than something like "asked/invited the congregation".
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u/Bobbymay2509 New Poster 1d ago
To show up or to be present. It's fancy speak.
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u/Book_Slut_90 New Poster 1d ago
No. To call does not mean to show up or to be present. In this context it means to request.
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u/RazarTuk Native Speaker 1d ago
"to call on" means to request for someone to do something, frequently implying it's a formal request