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The Poet Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Extending Verb Transitivity

My question is to experts and English teachers about transitive verb. We know that transitive verbs need or can take an object such as 'read' in "He reads a story". Some of these verb can have a preposition to extend their transitivity (so to speak) like in "I read a story to my niece". Even though I have not officially come across the grammatical rule, I heard it used a lot, like in "I read my niece a story", "He kept him a note", "They arranged us a trip", "The manager has organised the sales people a meeting" and so forth,.

Are all these sentences grammatically correct? and how does the official rule state it?
  

Top answer

"I read my niece a story" (X) "He kept him a note" (X) "They arranged us a trip" (X) "The manager has organised the sales people a meeting" Only the first is possible. 'Read' can be a ditransitive verb , taking two objects. Certain verbs can be used ditransitively; here are some common ones: accord,afford,allocate,allow,appoint,ask,assign,assure,award,bake,bet,bring,build,buy,call,catch,cause,charge,cook,cost,cut,deal,deliver,deny,design,do,draw,drop,earn,feed,find,fine,forgive,get,give,grant,guarantee,hand,hunt,leave,lend,lose,make,name,offer,order,overpay,owe,pass,pay,permit,play,prescribe,profit,promise,purchase,quote,read,refuse,render,save,sell,send,serve,set,show,spare,supply,take,teach,tell,throw,win,wish,write .

— Mister Micawber

  • "I read my niece a story" (X) "He kept him a note" (X) "They arranged us a trip" (X) "The manager has organised the sales people a meeting" Only the first is possible.
  • 'Read' can be a ditransitive verb , taking two objects.
  • Certain verbs can be used ditransitively; here are some common ones: accord,afford,allocate,allow,appoint,ask,assign,assure,award,bake,bet,bring,build,buy,call,catch,cause,charge,cook,cost,cut,deal,deliver,deny,design,do,draw,drop,earn,feed,find,fine,forgive,get,give,grant,guarantee,hand,hunt,leave,lend,lose,make,name,offer,order,overpay,owe,pass,pay,permit,play,prescribe,profit,promise,purchase,quote,read,refuse,render,save,sell,send,serve,set,show,spare,supply,take,teach,tell,throw,win,wish,write .
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4 Answers
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"I read my niece a story"
(X) "He kept him a note"
(X) "They arranged us a trip"
(X)"The manager has organised the sales people a meeting"

Only the first is possible. 'Read' can be a ditransitive verb, taking two objects. Certain verbs can be used ditransitively; here are some common ones:

accord,afford,allocate,allow,appoint,ask,assign
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Wow! so even 'keep' cannot take 2 objects?! How can one finds about the ditransitivity of a verb? Online dictionaries hardly mention the single transitivity.

How about the song "cry me a river"?
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If you google the phrase 'ditransitive verbs', you'll find more information and lists like the one I lifted from some on-line source. I think 'keep' may used as such, but not as in your example sentence: She kept him a slave; she kept him a piece of cake. Perhaps.
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Hey Mister Micawber, if there is one that should keep the other slave, then it should be him, playfully of course. Oh, this is a grammar discussion. I got what you mean thank you Mister Micawber
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