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Are these sentences correct:1-I don't want a madman like him with a gun.(MEANING: We don't like a madman like him to have a gun.)2-She doesn't want her daughter with that silly dress on.3-She doesn't want her daughter with that silly dress. (MEANING: She don't want her daugher to have that silly dress on.)4-Who would want an immature person with a lot of power in his hands?(MEANING: Who would want an immature person to have  a lot of power in his hands.)5-We don't want him with that much power in his hands.(MEANING: We don't want him to have that much power in his hands.)Gratefully,Navi.

Enoon · Accepted Answer

I believe they are all legitimate uses of "with" except "She doesn't want her daughter with that silly dress", which needs the "on" at the end. Still, my ear wants "see" in there, for example, "I don't want to see a madman like him with a gun."

Navitasan · Answer

Thank you very much Enoon,

1a-I don't want to have a madman like him with a gun.
(MEANING: We don't like a madman like him to have a gun.)

2a-She doesn't want to have her daughter with that silly dress on.
(MEANING: She don't want her daugher to have that silly dress on.)

4a-Who would want to have an immature person with a lot of power in his hands?
(MEANING: Who would want an immature person to have a lot of power in his hands.)

5a-We don't want to have him with that much power in his hands.
(MEANING: We don't want him to have that much power in his hands.)

Gratefully,
Navi.

Enoon · Answer

navitasanThank you very much Enoon,1a-I don't want to have a madman like him with a gun.(MEANING: We don't like a madman like him to have a gun.)2a-She doesn't want to have her daughter with that silly dress on. (MEANING: She don't want her daugher to have that silly dress on.)4a-Who would want to have an immature person with a lot of power in his hands?(MEANING: Who would want an immature person to have a lot of power in his hands.)5a-We don't want to have him with that much power in his hands.(MEANING: We don't want him to have that much power in his hands.)Gratefully,Navi.

I don't want you to think that the sense of these is that the verb "have", in the first one, for example, extends to the madman and his gun. "Have" is possible there, but it is no more literal than my "see" was (and it is less natural). They both mean something like "I don't want to be in a world that includes that madman and his gun."

Navitasan · Answer

Thank you very much Enoon.

I really appreciate that. That is more or less what I meant by "have", but your explanation clarifies everything perfectly, not only for me but for anyone else who reads the thread.

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