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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Direct object
She persuaded us to do it.
Is "persuaded" ditransitive in the sentence above?
Is "to do it" a direct object of "persuaded"?
Is "persuaded" ditransitive in the sentence above?
Is "to do it" a direct object of "persuaded"?
Top answer
Hi, Nice question! " In the example " She hates speaking in public " we could argue that the clause " speaking in public " is a direct object of the verb " hate ," but in your sentence, " to do it " is an action rather than a thing. I would say that " persuade " is a causative verb , not a ditransitive verb.
- Hi, Nice question!
- " In the example " She hates speaking in public " we could argue that the clause " speaking in public " is a direct object of the verb " hate ," but in your sentence, " to do it " is an action rather than a thing.
- I would say that " persuade " is a causative verb , not a ditransitive verb.
- Functional grammar recognizes this problem and offers alternative labels: She (Initiator) persuaded <us (Actor) > to do (Process) it (Goal).
- Hope this helps.
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6 Answers
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Hi,
Nice question! I don't really see how the clause "to do it" can be considered an object, as it is an extension of the verb "persuade."
In the example "She hates speaking in public" we could argue that the clause "speaking in public" is a direct object of the verb "hate," but in your sentence, "to do it" is an action rather than a thin
Nice question! I don't really see how the clause "to do it" can be considered an object, as it is an extension of the verb "persuade."
In the example "She hates speaking in public" we could argue that the clause "speaking in public" is a direct object of the verb "hate," but in your sentence, "to do it" is an action rather than a thin
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AnonymousIs "persuaded" ditransitiveNo. persuade is a catenative verb. It takes an infinitive with an intervening NP (noun phrase).
AnonymousIs "to do it" a direct object of "persuaded"?No. It's a complement clause in the catenative construction.
CJ
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Thank you, Lingo and CJ, for the replies.
PS: that's from Wikipedia (under VALENCY entry):
"Sam persuaded us to contribute to the cause. - Object is a non-finite verb phrase".
PS: that's from Wikipedia (under VALENCY entry):
"Sam persuaded us to contribute to the cause. - Object is a non-finite verb phrase".
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AnonymousPS: that's from Wikipedia (under VALENCY entry):"Sam persuaded us to contribute to the cause. - Object is a non-finite verb phrase".That's one way of looking at it. I'd say complement rather than object. You know, if you ask 10 grammarians to analyze a sentence, you'll get 18 opinions on which analysis is right!
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AnonymousPS: that's from Wikipedia (under VALENCY entry): "Sam persuaded us to contribute to the cause. - Object is a non-finite verb phrase".To me it seems weird to call "to contribute to the cause" an "object" of the verb.
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CalifJimThat's one way of looking at it. I'd say complement rather than object. You know, if you ask 10 grammarians to analyze a sentence, you'll get 18 opinions on which analysis is right!Indeed, there are different ways of parsing as there are different schools of grammar.
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