Ditransitive verbs

Question

For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect a list of ditransitive verbs - verbs that require both a direct object and an indirect object.
I suspect I'm having a bit of a CRAFT moment, as I can come up with only two: "to put" and "to give".
There must be more than just those. Can any of you mavens help me out?

Ta.
RobertE

Usenet · Accepted Answer

RobertE filted:
[nq:1]For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect a list of ditransitive verbs - verbs that require both ... "to put" and "to give". There must be more than just those. Can any of you mavens help me out?[/nq]
"To tell"..r

Usenet · Answer

Once upon a 2/10/04 2:27 PM, in the land of
(Email Removed), the good witch "RobertE" from (Email Removed) told the whole world all about how:
[nq:1]For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect a list of ditransitive verbs - verbs that require both ... put" and "to give". There must be more than just those. Can any of you mavens help me out? Ta.[/nq]
I gave at the office.

Carmen L. Abruzzi

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect ... just those. Can any of you mavens help me out?[/nq]
[nq:1]"To tell"..r[/nq]
Here's the list of verbs cited under "Dative Alternation" in the Verb Index from "English Verb Classes And Alternations: A Preliminary Investigation", by Beth Levin, on the Web at http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/levin.html, and also in the verb list that I reverse-engineered from that index, at http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/levin.verbs. Appearance of a verb in this list means it is cited under that alternation, which can either indicate that it takes the alternation or that the alternation is forbidden with it. This is relevant in the main only for ditransitive verbs.
The "Dative Alternation" is the alternation between structures like Bill sent the letter to Mary.
and
Bill sent Mary the letter.
Like most alternations, it's governed by the matrix verb.

This is not guaranteed to be a list of ditransitive verbs, but it contains lots of them, and it should be easy enough to filter them out of it.
accord acknowledge address adjudge adjudicate administer admit adopt advance allege allocate allot announce anoint appoint articulate ask assert assign assume avow award babble baptize barge bark bash bat bawl bear begrudge believe bellow bequeath bet bill bleat bode boom bounce brand bray bring broadcast bunt burble bus cable cackle call carol carry cart catapult cede chant charge chatter chirp christen chuck cite cluck communicate concede confess consecrate consider contribute convey coo cost credit croak croon crow crown cry declare decree deem delegate deliver demonstrate denounce deny describe designate dictate dispatch display distribute donate drag drawl drive drone drop dub e-mail elect elucidate entrust envy esteem exhibit explain explicate express extend fancy fax feed ferry find fine flash flick fling flip float fly forbid forfeit forgive forward furnish gabble gibber give grant groan growl grumble grunt guarantee hand haul heave heft hiss hit hoist holler hoot howl hurl illustrate imagine introduce issue jabber judge kick label lease leave lend lift lilt lisp loan lob lower lug mail make mark mention moan modem mulct mumble murmur mutter name narrate netmail nickname nominate offer ordain overcharge owe pass pay peddle phone pitch portray pose post preach present presume proclaim profess proffer promise pronounce propose prove provide pull punt purr push quote radio rage raise rasp rate read recite reckon recommend recount refer refund refuse reimburse relay remit render rent repay repeat report restore return reveal roar roll row rule rumble sacrifice satellite save say schlep scream screech sell semaphore send serve ship shoot shout shove show shriek shuttle sign signal sing slam slap slide sling slip smuggle snap snarl sneak snuffle spare splutter squall squawk squeak squeal stammer stamp state strike stutter style submit supply suppose surrender take tax teach telecast telegraph telephone telex tell term think throw thunder tip tisk toss tote tow trade transfer transport trill truck trumpet trust tug twitter undercharge vote vouchsafe wager wail want warble warrant wheel wheeze whimper whine whisper whistle whoop will wire wireless wish write yammer yap yell yelp yield yodel
Enjoy.
-John Lawler http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/disclaimers.html U Michigan #include disclaimers.h

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect a list of ditransitive verbs - verbs that require both ... "to put" and "to give". There must be more than just those. Can any of you mavens help me out?[/nq]
"Give" doesn't necessarily require a direct and an indirect object. I give blood. Do you want verbs that require both, or verbs that often take both?

Look at all these socks!

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Give" doesn't necessarily require a direct and an indirect object. I give blood. Do you want verbs that require both, or verbs that often take both?[/nq]
Yes, you're right, of course.
Both those verbs that require both and those that often take both will be very gratefully received.
RobertE

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]RobertE filted:[/nq]
[nq:2]For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect ... just those. Can any of you mavens help me out?[/nq]
[nq:1]"To tell"..r[/nq]
That one can be ditransitive, but it doesn't have to be.

I told the truth.
I told him.
"Give" and "put" pretty much require both, except in the "donate" sense of "give", which can be transitive
I gave five bucks.
or intransitive
I gave at the office.
Looking at John Lawler's list, I no others jump out at me as being mandatorily ditransitive in any of their senses.

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1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >he who cannot is a fool; and he whoPalo Alto, CA 94304 >dares not is a slave.

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[nq:2]For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect ... those. Can any of you mavens help me out? Ta.[/nq]
[nq:1]I gave at the office.[/nq]
Did you really put out?

john

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]"Give" doesn't necessarily require a direct and an indirect object. I give blood. [/nq]
In discussing verbs that normally need both a direct and an indirect object (or prepositional complement), a linguistics teacher I once had commented that in every single class she ever taught, someone ALWAYS said "I gave blood." And then, "I gave at the office." And then, "I put the shot." And then they were usually finished.
You think of what you can think of, I guess.
\P. Schultz

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In discussing verbs that normally need both a direct and an indirect object (or prepositional complement), a linguistics teacher I ... "I put the shot." And then they were usually finished. You think of what you can think of, I guess.[/nq]
Nobody ever mentioned "I told the story"?

Jerry Friedman

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]For reasons that aren't that important I'm trying to collect a list of ditransitive verbs - verbs that require both ... put" and "to give". There must be more than just those. Can any of you mavens help me out? Ta.[/nq]
I can't think of a single verb that requires an indirect object.

"Put" doesn't take an indirect object in the sense I'm familiar with; that is, it doesn't take two noun-phrase objects, neither of which has a preposition. Except in northern New Mexican English (and maybe other dialects strongly influenced by Spanish), where people say, "Thanks for loaning me your car. I put it some gas." But I think people, including Prof. Lawler, use "indirect object" in a different way.
In standard English "put" requires an adverbial phrase, but not here in N.M. I'm noticing adverb-less "put" more often, but I don't know whether that's because it's increasing or because I got sensitized to it here.
How about verbs that take two complements, one a noun and one an adjective, like "paint it black"?

Jerry Friedman

Ditransitive verbs

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