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Huong Ho Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Please help me explain this question!

We can't write'' I have found magnolia tree a place.'' because a tree is inanimate and can't adopt a recipient role. My question is why we can write''I have given the bathroom a thorough cleaning.'' while the bathroom is also inanimate.
  

Top answer

Inanimateness plays no role in this. First of all, you need a determiner before magnolia tree, for example my magnolia tree. Even so, the sentence doesn't sound right because the direct object (a place) is so far behind the verb (have found).

— Cool Breeze

  • Inanimateness plays no role in this.
  • First of all, you need a determiner before magnolia tree, for example my magnolia tree.
  • Even so, the sentence doesn't sound right because the direct object (a place) is so far behind the verb (have found).
  • The verb and its object should not be separated, especially if the object is short.
  • A thorough cleaning is longer, and this makes your other example possible.
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7 Answers
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Inanimateness plays no role in this. First of all, you need a determiner before magnolia tree, for example my magnolia tree. Even so, the sentence doesn't sound right because the direct object (a place) is so far behind the verb (have found). The verb and its object should not be separated, especially if the object is short. A thor
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Sorry, I mistyped. The complete sentence is'' I have found the magnolia tree a place''. I agree that this sentence is wrong. What would you see as a long object then? For example, we can say'' I paid her a visit.'' Is this also a long object?
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A place and a visit are equally long. Her is shorter than the magnolia tree, which may make the difference. By the way, I'm not sure everybody would consider I have found the magnolia tree a place incorrect. I would accept it.

CB
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I read in a book that although''I have found a place for the magnolia tree'' and ''I have found a place for Mrs Jones'' are grammatically equivalent, only the latter sentence can be transformed'' I have found Mrs Jones a place'', not'' I have found the magnolia tree a place.'' due to inanimateness.I asked this question because as I see, both a bathroom and tree are inanimate.
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A minor comment.
I think I'd hesitate before calling a tree an inanimate object. It does have life, and it does in a sense breathe.

Clive
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Cool Breeze, I'm not sure everybody would consider I have found the magnolia tree a place incorrect.
So would I.
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Thank you all. Emotion: smile I have found the answer for this question.This is an exception when ''give, pay, owe'' has an effected object as dir
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