God will rot him

Hi teachers,


Is "God will rot him in hell" correct?


Thanks.

No, "rot" is not transitive. That is, one thing does not rot another.

"God will see that he rots in hell," perhaps.

Barb_D said:

No, "rot" is not transitive. That is, one thing does not rot another.

"God will see that he rots in hell," perhaps.

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Why does Macmillan dictionary claim (http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/rot) that "rot" intransitive as well as transitive?

[INTRANSITIVE/TRANSITIVE] to decay by a gradual natural process, or to make something decay in this way
All those sweets will rot your teeth.
The window frames had completely rotted away.

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Explain, please. I'm confused. :-?
Naeem Afzal, I think that a verb "to burn" is better here.

I'm not a teacher.

I am wondering if caries can rot a tooth (as in "caries sets in at a weak point and spreads to rot the whole tooth")?

NortT said:

Naeem Afzal, I think that a verb "to burn" is better here.

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NortT, I think that the verb 'to immolate' may also be better here.

Not a teacher.

I think that the more neutral verb "punish" would be enough.
As for "to immolate", I have some doubts about the appropriacy of it being used in this context, although that's just my opinion.
"To immolate" means "to kill as a sacrifice, especially by burning" (taken from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/immolate)

Not a teacher.

'To immolate' means 'to kill someone by burning them'── quoted from http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/immolate

Not a teacher.

I was overly broad.
Water can rot wood.
Sugar can rot teeth.
Those are transitive uses.

However, someone left in Hell for all eternity rots in the intransitive sense.

Over time, the water caused the wood to rot. It acted on it.
Over time, the water rotted the wood. (Transitive)
Over time, the wood rotted. (Intransitive)

There are many synonyms for "kill". But I think that not only "how" but allso "what for" adds up to what it really means. But never mind. Let us wait and see what natives think of it.

Thank you for the answers.

Is "God will burn/immolate him in hell" correct?

I think 'incinerate' is also possible.

Not a teacher.

Neither "immolate" nor "incinerate" work for me in that context.

I am not a teacher.

I don't think that God rots or burns anyone directly.

If you go to hell the likely outcome is that you burn or rot without further intervention by anyone.

The usual phrase is a simple "He will burn in hell/Hell". Usually, god/God is not mentioned. The religious aspect of the phrase is clear given the use of the word "hell".

emsr2d2 said:

Usually, god/God is not mentioned.

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The OP may mean to emphasize God is the one who punishes him.
Is it OK to say 'God will send him to hell where he will burn'?

Not a teacher.

Saying that "where he will burn" seems rather tautologous to me. My religious knowledge isn't great but I think burning is pretty much the only activity available to people in hell.

bhaisahab said:

Neither "immolate" nor "incinerate" work for me in that context.

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Is it because a soul can be neither 'killed by burning' nor 'burned to ashes'?

Well, if you believe in a soul, then it's possible you believe that a soul cannot be destroyed by any method.