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Lcchang Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

make

The manager made him come to the meeting.

If I change the sentence above to a negative meaning, can I say "The manager made him not come to the meeting" or "The manager told him not to come to the meeting"? Please advise.
  

Top answer

It's difficult to force someone not to do something, but it is natural to tell someone not to do something.

— AlpheccaStars

  • It's difficult to force someone not to do something, but it is natural to tell someone not to do something.
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6 Answers
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It's difficult to force someone not to do something, but it is natural to tell someone not to do something.
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I see. So a native speaker would not use an expression like this though it is grammatically correct, right?
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Yes. Here is an example of the causative verb with a negative:

Just the sight of the food made him not want to eat anything at all.
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One more question please. If I were a boss, I should have the right to determine who must be at the meeting.
But anyway, you don't think the sentence I made sounds natural to you, do you? It is hard for me to figure that out, but I do appreciate you help.
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LcchangIf I were a boss, I should have the right to determine who must be at the meeting.
True.
LcchangBut anyway, you don't think the sentence I made sounds natural to you, do you?
No, it's not. The causative verbs are not normally followed by the negated infinitive.

Use regular verbs, eg.

He told me I mu
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LcchangThe manager made him not come to the meeting
No. If you want "made", you'll need something like "made him stay away from the meeting", but that's not as good as the suggestions that A.S. has already given you.

CJ
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