0
New2grammar Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

shot to death vs shot dead

0The killings came three days after robbers barged into a bank in the same province Friday and 01b00shot to death/shot dead 10 people in the head02b00, triggering nationwide outrage.02br
02br
00Three people were found shot to death/shot dead in an apartment on the border of X and Y provinces.02br
02br
00Is there any difference between shot to death and shot dead?02br
02br
00Thanks in advance!0-
  

Top answer

0Not really. 0-

— BarbaraPA

  • 0Not really.
  • 0-
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

15 Answers
0
0Not really. I've personally found the phrase "shot to death" weird, but it's common.0-
0
0
0 For me - shot dead means killed02br
00shot to death is used to describe something that has been used so much it no longer functions or an idea that has been tried many times without success.0-
0
0
0Thanks, GG and Optilang0-
0
0
0I'm familar with the use of something being "done to death" but I don't think there is ANY DOUBT for the meaning of "two people were found shot to death in an apartment."0-
0
0
0Careful of the word order.02br
01i00They shot ten people to death. 02i00 Not 01i00They shot to death ten people.02i02br
01i00They shot ten people dead.02i00 Possibly 01i00They shot dead ten people02i00 or 01i00They shot dead ten people in the head02i00 but these are c
0
0
0 done to death is different to shot to death02br
00done to death means overuse of something - eg the song yesterday has been done to death (so many people have recorded it now that it's hardly worth recording it again)02br
00shot to death eg the engine on this car's shot (to death) - KAPUT 0-
0
0
0CJ, the word order is extremely confusing, I have to say. I'd say shot dead is easier to use as they are always next to each other. How would you say, "01i00They shot dead ten people in the head02i00 " in a non clumsy way?0-
0
0
1blockquote
01cite10optilang12cite10 shot to death eg the engine on this car's shot (to death) - KAPUT 12br
12blockquote
10That's a new use for me. 0-
0
0
0 01blockquote
01cite10New2grammar12cite10CJ, the word order is extremely confusing, I have to say. I'd say shot dead is easier to use as they are always next to each other. How would you say, "11i10They shot dead ten people in the head12i10 " in a non clumsy way?12blockquote
10 I agree. Very confusing. 01
0
0
0"Shot dead" itself, I believe, is incorrect grammar.02br
02br
00 Dead is either an adjective meaning to no longer be alive or as an adverb to mean absolutely/exact/straight; directly (e.g. they were shot dead in the head).02br
02br
00Shot in these contents is to mean the past tense of shoot.02br
02br
00To follow shot with dead is to
0

Related Questions