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Taka Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
to oneself
Does this 'to oneself' sound OK here?
He ate it all to himself.
He ate it all to himself.
Top answer
Hi, No. He ate it all to himself. Perhaps you mean He ate it all by himself (ie without assistance) You could say the rather idiomatic He kept it all to himself .
- Hi, No.
- He ate it all to himself.
- Perhaps you mean He ate it all by himself (ie without assistance) You could say the rather idiomatic He kept it all to himself .
- (ie he didn't permit others to share it) Clive
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14 Answers
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Hi,
No. He ate it all to himself.
Perhaps you mean He ate it all by himself (ie without assistance)
You could say the rather idiomatic He kept it all to himself. (ie he didn't permit others to share it)
Clive
No. He ate it all
Perhaps you mean He ate it all by himself (ie without assistance)
You could say the rather idiomatic He kept it all to himself. (ie he didn't permit others to share it)
Clive
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What about these?
·He had it all to himself.
·He ate it all for himself.
·He had it all to himself.
·He ate it all for himself.
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Taka·He had it all to himself. In my opinion, this usually means no one else is around. He had the place all to himself. I'm not sure I've heard it appied to something to eat.
·He ate it all for himself. He ate it all by himself. He kept it all for himself. (I think Clive gave you these. It's not commonly us
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TakaWhat about these?
·He had it all to himself.
·He ate it all for himself.
I hope this helps.
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"had it all for himself" - six Google hits.
"had it all to himself" - ten thousand four hundred Google hits.
"had it all to himself" - ten thousand four hundred Google hits.
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Hi Avangi,
Re "kept it all to himself," in my experience, this applies to the sharing of information and not the sharing of material things.
That's not my experience. Maybe it's a matter of regional differences?
Best wishes, Clive
Re "kept it all to himself," in my experience, this applies to the sharing of information and not the sharing of material things.
That's not my experience. Maybe it's a matter of regional differences?
Best wishes, Clive
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Thanks, Clive. I'll keep my ears open. I could well be mistaken. - A.
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So Clive, Philip, 'He had it all for himself' sounds wrong?
And I wonder if it's possible to omit the 'all's used in the sentences presented.
Plus, is it impossible to use the verb 'eat' to describe a person (he) 'monopolizing' the food?
And I wonder if it's possible to omit the 'all's used in the sentences presented.
Plus, is it impossible to use the verb 'eat' to describe a person (he) 'monopolizing' the food?
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Hi,
So Clive, Philip, 'He had it all for himself' sounds wrong?
Firstly, this does not necessarily just refer to 'eating'. I'm not sure if 'eating' is what you want to deal with.
Secondly, it's not wrong to say this, but it sounds to me like you mean 'It was all available to him'. It also sounds to me like you are probably going to continue by saying 'but . . . ',
eg
So Clive, Philip, 'He had it all for himself' sounds wrong?
Firstly, this does not necessarily just refer to 'eating'. I'm not sure if 'eating' is what you want to deal with.
Secondly, it's not wrong to say this, but it sounds to me like you mean 'It was all available to him'. It also sounds to me like you are probably going to continue by saying 'but . . . ',
eg
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