knocked him unconscious/ almost shook the life out of him

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to give me your considered opinion concerning the interpretation of the expressions in bold in the following sentences?

Later he hit Bill, in the head with a stone and knocked him unconscious. I went out and caught the kid and almost shook the life out of him.

knocked him unconscious = hit him so badly that he fainted

almost shook the life out of him = beat him almost to death

V.

[Mylanguageclick]

I think you are right.
Regards.

[SoothingDave]

"Shaking" is not the same as "beating."

[riquecohen]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to give me your considered opinion concerning the interpretation of the expressions in bold in the following sentences?

Later he hit Bill, in the head with a stone and knocked him unconscious. I went out and caught the kid and almost shook the life out of him.

knocked him unconscious = hit him so badly that he fainted Not exactly. Loss of consciousness can result from a head trauma in which the brain is shaken or injured. This is what seems to have occurred in your sentence. This is different from a faint, which is a temporary loss of consciousness, often resulting from an emotional shock, fear or hunger.
almost shook the life out of him = beat him almost to death No. I would take this to mean that he literally "shook" the kid in a very brutal manner. There is a form of child abuse called Shaken Baby Syndrome, which can cause severe brain damage, blindness, and even death to infants. Shaking is a very dangerous form of punishment.

V.

See above.

[Mylanguageclick]

I've read this again and I agree with riquecohen. Once, I read a piece of news about a man accused of shaking his baby son to death and I got confused.

Regards.