Stomach

Question

The word stomach as a verb is transitive.However, the following is a correct sentence.I can't fathom it.A 26% water rate increase is more than most residents can stomach.What do you think?

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

The verb "to stomach" means, roughly, to tolerate.

If you replaced "can stomach" with "can tolerate," would the sentence make sense to you? Or is the entire struture a bit of a puzzle?

Rotter · Answer

It is a puzzle.

Even the verb tolerate is transitive.

He is clamouring

I can't tolerate. [ WRONG]

I can't tolerate him. [CORRECT]

BarbaraPA · Answer

Okay, I know you like to work out at the gym. Let's try a few sentences that might make more sense.

The verb "lift" is also a transitive verb.

I can lift 200 pounds.

200 pounds is not too much for me to lift.

I can't lift 600 pounds.

600 pounds is too much for me to lift.

I can tolerate a small increase in my water bill.

I can't tolerate a huge increase in my water bill.

A huge increase in my water bill is too much for me to tolerate.

Rotter · Answer

Thanks Grammar Geek

Candidly speaking I can't understand these things.

When there is a transitive verb, it can't stand alone.

I have learnt these thing from great friends like you, Clive, CalfJim, Cool Breeze,Khoff, Anonymous, Mister Micawber,Philip and a few others.

I need more help from you to understand this.

Some years ago I wrote the following in this forum:

I injured while training at the gym.

One of you pointed out it was wrong because the verb injury is transitive.

It should be the following:

I injured my knee/back while training at the gym.

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You touched on my gym training. I have trained 100 minutes today. I think I have made a minor mistake whilst training on the cross-trainer. There is slight pain in the thigh muscles. It will wane within next 48 hours.

Thanks to the gym trainining, I weigh 60-62 kilos, the latest blood pressure reading is 126/78, fasting blood sugar value lies between 5.1 to 5.3.

People or rather some of my friends don't train take medications for blood pressure and diabetes. I tell them the following:

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People who take medications for diabetes, high blood pressure can get a stroke or heart attack at any time.
[Doctors have told me the above.]

Anonymous · Answer

Most verbs in English can be either transitive or intransitive. Even if a verb is known to be "only" transitive, or "only" intransitive, it can probably still be forced into being intransitive or transitive, respectively. For example, the verbs "tolerate" and "stomach" are supposedly transitive only, but they can be forced into intransitive usage:

He's driving me nuts, but just for the sake of keeping the peace, I'll tolerate for now.

These are difficult times, but I'll stomach if you help me.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Neither of these particular examples sound like something any native speaker would say.

Clive

BarbaraPA · Answer

I agree. Those both need an object, even if it's a vague "it."

Rotter, I can only try one more time, and then I need someone with a greater knowledge of how this works linguistically.

See if this series makes sense when you go down this sequence:

I can't lift 600 pounds. It's too heavy

I can't lift this 600 pound weight because it's too heavy.

600 pounds is too heavy a weight for me to lift.

600 pounds is more than I can lift.

See is also a transitive verb.

I see it.

I can't see it. It's too far away.

I can't see it because it's too far away.

It's too far away to see.

Hear is also a transitive verb.

I can't hear the music. It is to faint.

I can't hear the music because it is too faint.

The music is too far away for me to hear.

Most residents can't stomach a 26% water rate increase. It's too much.

A 26% water rate increase is too much for most residents to stomach.

A 26% water rate increase is more than most residents can stomach.

CalifJim · Answer

Rotter
The word stomach as a verb is transitive.
However, the following is a correct sentence.
...
A 26% water rate increase is more than most residents can stomach.
What do you think?

There's nothing unusual here. The object of a transitive verb doesn't have to occur immediately after the verb. It can be implied by context. It happens in relative clauses all the time.

This is a record that no one can break.

(No one can break this record.)

This is an increase that most residents can stomach.

(Most residents can stomach this increase.)

more than = a greater increase than the increase that

So your sentence is saying

A 26% water rate increase is a greater increase than the increase that most residents can stomach.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Then how about the following:

I tolerate well.

I stomach readily.

I injure easily (injure is trans. or intrans.).

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Then how about the following:

I tolerate well. Sounds odd and unnatural

I stomach readily. Sounds extremely odd and unnatural

I injure easily (injure is trans. or intrans.). OK

Clive

Stomach

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