I met with him.

rich7   Friday, April 08, 2005, 05:55 GMT
Does this convey the same connotation as " I met him".
Leonard   Friday, April 08, 2005, 06:09 GMT
"I met him" is correct English, as is "I had a meeting with him", however they convey different meanings.

"I met with him" is a usage to be avoided.
rich7   Friday, April 08, 2005, 06:17 GMT
Ok I'll keep it in mind
JJM   Friday, April 08, 2005, 08:51 GMT
Pay no attention to Leonard.

"I met with him" is just fine. Indeed, it conveys a certain nuance that "I met him" does not: the idea of not simply meeting someone but rather of having a meeting with him.
Leonard   Saturday, April 09, 2005, 08:10 GMT
Exactly: as I stated (without rudeness) there are two different meanings to be conveyed.

While "met with" is listed in dictionaries these days as acceptable, possibly more so in JJM's environment than elsewhere, if you are interested in style, the use of the noun ("meeting") is preferable, especially when trying to develop a sentence, e.g. " He and I had a most enjoyable meeting"; "I learned a great deal from my meeting with him".

"I met with him" can be developed in a clumsy fashion only: "I met with him and it was most enjoyable"; "I met with him and learned a great deal".

"Pay no attention to Leonard", as has been so charmingly suggested, if you wish, rich7.
D   Saturday, April 09, 2005, 11:56 GMT
"I met with him" is standard in AE. Met with is a nice, direct verb which is shorter and less passive sounding than its synonym 'had a meeting with.'

John met with his lawyer on Friday.
Tensions were high as union negotiators met with management.

More examples from google news:

The board of directors has met with PricewaterhouseCoopers this morning.

THE ONTARIO government came under fire yesterday after admitting that a paid lobbyist met with cabinet shortly before the bill he was hired to influence was...

The president met with student leaders ...

Headline: East Texas Priest Met With Pope Several Times
JJM   Saturday, April 09, 2005, 13:04 GMT
I find it no less rude to mislead someone with entirely subjective and spurious "rules" about the language.
Mxsmanic   Saturday, April 09, 2005, 15:26 GMT
In general, you meet someone when that person is introduced to you for the first time. You meet with someone when you arrange for an attend a meeting between the two of you, or with other people present. "Meet with" always implies that you already knew each other, whereas "meet" alone does not (although it doesn't exclude the possibility).
rich7   Sunday, April 10, 2005, 04:14 GMT
Well, my friend Leonard with due respect I'll have to go with what the majority says.
Leonard   Sunday, April 10, 2005, 09:00 GMT
>>I find it no less rude to mislead someone with entirely subjective and spurious "rules" about the language.

Well, JJM: it seems that while I was genuinely trying to give rich7 some guidance regarding English writing style, you were intent on something else. Read my initial post again, and then read the first sentence of yours and tell us all that your first post was reasonable and polite.

A careful perusal of my posts will display that my suggestions to rich7 were in respect of style, and that at no time did I mention or attempt to quote "rules", spurious or otherwise. Certainly style is subjective, and my response to rich7's question indicated simply that a certain usage was best avoided; that is obviously my opinion and so is subjective; was your summary dismissal of my suggestion not subjective?

My second post made very clear that my recommendation had been in respect of style.

Your attitude seems to be that no opinion on this board is acceptable unless it coincides with yours, or at least with current US practice.

I would appreciate any advice from other contributors, and moderators, as to whether this treatment of non-US persons is something which can and should be expected on this forum. I realise that I am part of a small minority, but had not expected such treatment.
JJM   Sunday, April 10, 2005, 09:26 GMT
Since I'm not an American, I'd be interested myself to hear whether this treatment of non-US persons by other non-US persons "is something which can and should be expected on this forum."
JJM   Sunday, April 10, 2005, 12:00 GMT
Anyway, I apologize unreservedly if Leonard feels offended.

There IS a difference between language usage and language style though. The latter tends toward the highly subjective and aesthetic.

I am comfortable with how "I met with him" sounds; Leonard is not. That's a matter of personal taste.

But personal taste or not, "I met with him" is perfectly correct English.