Achieve sainthood

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

Can I use ''achieve'' in my example to mean that the person was made a saint? Is there another verb I can use in my sentence instead of ''make?''

''He was considered for sainthood and was later made a saint''.

 

[J&K Tutoring]

Achieve sounds to me as if it was something to strive for- a goal- so I think inappropriate for sainthood. In fact, I don't think that any active verb could work for that reason.

 

[teechar]

Can I use ''achieve'' in my example to mean that the person was made a saint?

Your sentence doesn't talk about achievement. Are you thinking of another sentence?

Is there another verb I can use in my sentence instead of ''make?''
''He was considered for sainthood and was later made a saint''.

Look up the words "beatified" and "canonized".

 

[emsr2d2]

You'll have to use the passive voice whichever verb you choose. You can only be made a saint after you're dead and, obviously, after you're dead, you can't do/achieve/be anything. Therefore, the active voice works for almost no verbs after death.

The only exception to what I've said above is "He became a saint". That's the active but anyone who knows how it works would know that he took no active part in that event at all.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Your sentence doesn't talk about achievement. Are you thinking of another sentence? No.


Look up the words "beatified" and "canonized".

I thought perhaps ''achieve'' was possible. I thought so because when I looked up ''sainthood'' I found the following example. ''Newman was unaware that he might one day achieve sainthood.'' https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/sainthood?q=sainthood

 

[Rachel Adams]

Is the sentence with ''make'' correct? ''He was made a saint.''

 

[teechar]

I thought perhaps ''achieve'' was possible.

So, give us the sentence you have in mind.

Is the sentence with ''make'' correct? ''He was made a saint.''

Yes, that's fine.

 

[Rachel Adams]

This is the sentence I have in mind. ''He was considered for sainthood and was later made a saint''.

 

[teechar]

Yes, that can work.

 

[Rover_KE]

''He was considered for sainthood and was later canonised''.

This avoids a bit of repetition.

 

[Tarheel]

I don't think you can make somebody a saint. I think they determine if somebody was a saint. (One well-known example was Mother Theresa.)

 

[jutfrank]

Don't use achieve, despite the dictionary example you have cited. Being made a saint is not an achievement.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't think you can make somebody a saint.

You can only be made a saint. Canonisation is an official act.