The behaviour will make you lose your job.

Question

HiCould you please tell me which of the following sentences sounds better to you.The behavior will make you lose your job.The behavior will lose you your job....and the same question with gain.It will make you gain nothing.It will gain you nothing.Thanks,Tom

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Mr. TomThe behavior will make you lose your job.

The behavior will lose you your job.

No. Those don't work.the is not possible, and neither verb pattern is completely idiomatic, in my opinion. You need something like the following.

That kind of behavior could/can/will get you fired.
Behaving like that could/can/will get you fired.

You could/can/will lose your job if you behave like that.
Behave like that, and you'll [get fired / lose your job].

Mr. TomIt will make you gain nothing.

It will gain you nothing.

The first is not really idiomatic. The second one is OK, though stylistically stiff. More natural:

You won't gain anything.

These are usually followed by more information:

It will gain you nothing to ... (to act like that / to refuse to pay / ...)
It won't gain you anything to ...

You won't gain anything by ... -ing. (by acting like that / by refusing to pay / ...) [This one seems most natural to my ear.]

______________

It seems that you're working with the use of a "dative of interest" (indirect object) with gain and lose. (gain me something; gain him something; ...; lose me something; lose her something)

This usage is not at all frequent, and it's practically non-existent with lose.

CJ

Mr. Tom · Answer

Thanks for such a detailed answer, CJ.

By the time I noticed my typo, "the edit option" had slipped from my hands.[6]

I wanted to say:

This behavior or This kind of behavior.

So, are these equally natural?

This behvior can get you fired.

This kind of behavior can get you fired.

Tom

Mr Wordy · Answer

CalifJim
It seems that you're working with the use of a "dative of interest" (indirect object) with gain and lose. (gain me something; gain him something; ...; lose me something; lose her something)

This usage is not at all frequent, and it's practically non-existent with lose.

Just to note that there may be some BrE/AmE differences here (or personal usage differences), because, to me, this usage is normal and unremarkable. For example:

"That'll lose you money."

"That c***-up lost us three days."

"Her stupidity lost her her job."

CalifJim · Answer

Mr WordyJust to note that there may be some BrE/AmE differences here

Maybe so. Your examples sound OK to me, but I don't think I would generate them spontaneously myself -- certainly not the middle one, the subject of which must definitely be British. I can work out what it is, but I don't know anyone around here who would use it. We like the f better than the c there! And I would have said cost instead of lostin the last one.

Do you go as far as She lost him his wallet, We lost you the keys, and that sort of pattern?

CJ

Mr Wordy · Answer

CalifJimAnd I would have said cost instead of lost in the last one.

Actually, now you point it out, "cost" seems more likely to me too in that last example (though "lost" is not impossible).

CalifJimDo you go as far as She lost him his wallet, We lost you the keys, and that sort of pattern?

Those sentences don't sound at all likely to me. However, the following similar ones sound OK:

"I'm sorry ... I've lost you a ton of money."

"He's lost us that order."

I'm not exactly sure how I decide which are acceptable and which aren't.

CalifJim · Answer

Mr WordyI'm not exactly sure how I decide which are acceptable and which aren't.

Join the club! These are the questions that bedevil the experts.

CJ

The behaviour will make you lose your job.

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