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Viceidol Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
Can I say " It took him a lot of money to buy her a fur coat."?
Hello, everyone[<:o)]
My grammar books keep stressing that the word "take" is only used to refer to "how much time you have spent", and it cannot be used to refer to "how much money you have spent." However, there's a different opinion in my dictionary. It says take is OK for such meaning. For example: It took him a lot of money to buy her a fur coat.
Therefore I wonder if it's correct to say in this way. Please give me your opinion and I'd appreciate that.
My grammar books keep stressing that the word "take" is only used to refer to "how much time you have spent", and it cannot be used to refer to "how much money you have spent." However, there's a different opinion in my dictionary. It says take is OK for such meaning. For example: It took him a lot of money to buy her a fur coat.
Therefore I wonder if it's correct to say in this way. Please give me your opinion and I'd appreciate that.
Top answer
Yes and no. To my ear, it is the word him that seems anomalous. It took a lot of money to buy her a fur coat.
- Yes and no.
- To my ear, it is the word him that seems anomalous.
- It took a lot of money to buy her a fur coat.
- It seems to me that it is idiomatic to say It takes/took a person a certain amount of time to do something.
- But not *It takes/took a person a certain amount of money to do something.
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3 Answers
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Yes and no. To my ear, it is the word him that seems anomalous.
It took a lot of money to buy her a fur coat.
It seems to me that it is idiomatic to say
It takes/took a person a certain amount of time to do something.
But not
*It takes/took a person a certain amount of money to do something.
On the other hand, it see
It took a lot of money to buy her a fur coat.
It seems to me that it is idiomatic to say
It takes/took a person a certain amount of time to do something.
But not
*It takes/took a person a certain amount of money to do something.
On the other hand, it see
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Viceidol
My grammar books keep stressing that the word "take" is only used to refer to "how much time you have spent", and it cannot be used to refer to "how much money you have spent." However, there's a different opinion in my dictionary
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