0
Tenacious Learner Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Called to him vs. called him
Hi teachers,
Why is 'called to him' and not 'called him' in the following paragraph?
Alex looked quickly at the door, but he could not escape now. Then the shopkeeper called to him, ‘Hey, you!’ he said. ‘Quick! Go out through the back.’
Thanks in advance.
Why is 'called to him' and not 'called him' in the following paragraph?
Alex looked quickly at the door, but he could not escape now. Then the shopkeeper called to him, ‘Hey, you!’ he said. ‘Quick! Go out through the back.’
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
When you just say called him, it sounds like he is summoning Alex to come towards him. "
- When you just say called him, it sounds like he is summoning Alex to come towards him.
- "
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
When you just say called him, it sounds like he is summoning Alex to come towards him. When you say called to him, it sounds more like he is hailing him to get his attention--"Hey, you!"
00
"calling someone" normally implies a telephone call or summoning someone to come to you, usually using their name.
"called to him" is similar in meaning to "called out to him" and suggests that the shopkeeper uttered "Hey, you!" loudly enough to be heard by Alex.
"called to him" is similar in meaning to "called out to him" and suggests that the shopkeeper uttered "Hey, you!" loudly enough to be heard by Alex.
00
Related Questions