Let him go to America.

Let's say I am talking to Jane about Tom. In this case, can the sentence below have two different meanings?



Let (allow) him go to America. (I am in imperative mood and I want Jane allows Tom going to America, in other words I use the verb (let) as a second person form of imperative)


Let him go to America. (I am in imperative mood again but I directly want Tom going to America, in other words I use "let him go" as a third person form of imperative)

I can't see the difference in meaning you're talking about.

ringu20 said:

I directly want Tom going to America

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What does this mean?

I mean in the second example, I don't want Jane allows Tom going to America. I want Tom going to Ameria. In the second example, I don't use "let " as a synonym of "allow" or "permit". I just use the structure "let him/his/it verb" that is used in the third person form of imperative clause.

ringu20 said:

Let's say I am talking to Jane about Tom. In this case, can the sentence below have two different meanings?

1. Let (allow) him go to America. (I am [STRIKE]in[/STRIKE] using the imperative [STRIKE]mood[/STRIKE] and I want Jane [STRIKE]allows[/STRIKE] to allow Tom [STRIKE]going[/STRIKE] to go to America. In other words, I [STRIKE]use[/STRIKE] am using the verb (let) as a second person form of the imperative.
2. Let him go to America. (I am [STRIKE]in[/STRIKE] using the imperative mood again but I [STRIKE]directly[/STRIKE] want Tom [STRIKE]going[/STRIKE] to go to America. In other words, I [STRIKE]use[/STRIKE] am using "let him go" as a third person form of the imperative.

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Note my corrections above.

I don't think you understand the imperative. It can't be used in the third person. An imperative is always directed at one other person or several other people. If you're telling one person to do something, it's the second person singular. If you're telling several people to do something, it's the second person plural.

ringu20 said:

[STRIKE]I mean[/STRIKE] In the second example, I don't want Jane [STRIKE]allows[/STRIKE] to allow Tom [STRIKE]going[/STRIKE] to go to America. I want Tom [STRIKE]going[/STRIKE] to go to America. In the second example, I [STRIKE]don't use[/STRIKE] am not using "let " as a synonym of "allow" or "permit". I am just [STRIKE]use[/STRIKE] using the structure "let him/[STRIKE]his[/STRIKE] her/it + verb" that is used in the third person form of an imperative clause.

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Note my corrections above.

Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about here! There is no such structure as "Let him/her/it + verb" that is somehow third person. If you start a sentence with "Let" in that way, it has to be an imperative so it has to be in the second person. Also, "let" is a synonym of "allow" and "permit". You can't just decide that it's not.

emsr2d2 said:

There is no such structure as "Let him/her/it + verb" that is somehow third person.

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https://dictionary.cambridge.org/gr...s-and-imperatives/imperative-clauses-be-quiet

"Third person imperatives are not common; they are formed with let + him/her/it or a noun phrase:"

[B is joking]

ringu20 said:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/gr...s-and-imperatives/imperative-clauses-be-quiet

"Third person imperatives are not common; they are formed with let + him/her/it or a noun phrase:"

​

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NOT A TEACHER


Hello, Ringu:

I have found three more examples in a book written by four respected grammarians. They agree that such sentences are "archaic and elevated in tone."

1. "Let no one ​think that a teacher's life is easy."
2. "Let each man decide for himself."
3. "If anyone shrinks from this action, let him speak now."


Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik, A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1985), pages 829 - 830.

ringu20 said:

Let him knock on all the doors until he finds ours!

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This doesn't strike me as the same as the examples TheParser gives.

"Somebody help me"

"Somebody call the ambulance"


Aren't these phrases also third person imperative?

ringu20 said:

"Somebody help me"

"Somebody call the ambulance"


Aren't these phrases also third person imperative?

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NOT A TEACHER


Otto Jespersen (1866 - 1943), the famous grammarian, gives this sentence: "Oh, please, someone [my emphasis] go in and tell her."

Dr. Jespersen states: "Any imperative is virtually in the second [my emphasis] person, even if seemingly addressed to a 'third person.' "

He gives the following sentence from Dickens to illustrate this point: "And bring out my hat, somebody, will you [my emphasis]."


Source: Jespersen, Essentials of English Grammar (1964 reprint by the University of Alabama Press), page 148. (The book appeared in the early 1930s.)

It doesn't make any sense for an imperative to be anything but second person (singular or plural). In order to demand/command that someone do something, you have to be speaking/writing directly to them. In that case, you would be referring to them, grammatically, as "you". That has to be second person.