need clarification vs to be clarified

[ostap77]

"I need clarification on this issue."

OR

"I need to be clarified on this issue."

Would they be equally natural? Is there a difference in meaning?

 

[5jj]

The first is correct; the second isn't.

 

[riquecohen]

"I need clarification on this issue."

OR

"I need to be clarified on this issue."

Would they be equally natural? Is there a difference in meaning?

The first is correct; the second isn't.

Another (correct) option would be, "This issue needs to be clarified."

 

[ostap77]

The first is correct; the second isn't.

"There's a certain issue I need clarified." ?

 

[SoothingDave]

"There's certain issue I need clarified." ?

This might work in my dialect, but in standard English you would need to say "issue which needs to be clarified" or "issue which needs clarifying."

Also it's "a" certain issue.

 

[TheShadow]

"There's certain issue I need clarified." ?

I would say: (not a teacher)

There's a certain issue that needs to be clarified

 

[ostap77]

This might work in my dialect, but in standard English you would need to say "issue which needs to be clarified" or "issue which needs clarifying."

Also it's "a" certain issue.

Where are you from in the Sates? I was trying to imply that I need someone to clarify it for me as in "There's so much work I need done. (I need someone to do it for me)"?

 

[SoothingDave]

I am from western Pennsylvania. I understand your statement completely. You need the work done. You need the issue clarified. Which means you need someone to do the work so that it is then "done." Or someone to clarify the meaning to you.

That's not standard English, however useful and concise this formulation is.

Even in the standard English phrasing "I need this issue to be clarified" it is understood that you need someone else to do the clarifying.

 

[ostap77]

I am from western Pennsylvania. I understand your statement completely. You need the work done. You need the issue clarified. Which means you need someone to do the work so that it is then "done." Or someone to clarify the meaning to you.

That's not standard English, however useful and concise this formulation is.

Even in the standard English phrasing "I need this issue to be clarified" it is understood that you need someone else to do the clarifying.

"............doing the work that America needs done."? It's an extract from the Barack Obama's address. Why would the speaker use here "needs done" not "needs to be done"? I can give you the whole sentence, if you need.

 

[SoothingDave]

I believe we discussed this very utterance a couple weeks ago.

It sounds OK to me this way. Perhaps this type of use will become standard.

 

[ostap77]

I believe we discussed this very utterance a couple weeks ago.

It sounds OK to me this way. Perhaps this type of use will become standard.

Sorry for being the pain in the...... In his address "needs done" is non-standart, right?

 

[SoothingDave]

In my opinion, yes it is non-standard.

 

[5jj]

This is a personal opinion - I haven't checked in my library. I understand SoothingDave's point, but I feel that this usage is probably universally accepted now. I would probably always use the 'to be', but I am not 100% certain of that.

 

[riquecohen]

"............doing the work that America needs done."? It's an extract from the Barack Obama's address. Why would the speaker use here "needs done" not "needs to be done"? I can give you the whole sentence, if you need.

"Needs done" is ok in this context. "...doing the work that America needs to be done" makes no sense to me. Either "...that America needs to do" or "..that America needs to have done" would also work in this context.