Die of/from

[tipu s]

"He died of/from hunger and thirst"
Which of the two prepositions works here??
Could you help me by telling any other use of "die from" ??

 

[freezeframe]

Both work.

What do you mean by any other use?

He died from being hit by the bus.
He died from being struck by lightning.
He died from drowning.
?

 

[riquecohen]

It also can be used figuratively. "I'm dying of thirst." "I'm dying to see that film."

 

[TheParser]

"He died of/from hunger and thirst"
Which of the two prepositions works here??
Could you help me by telling any other use of "die from" ??

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) Questions like yours also interest and confuse me.

(2) According to one excellent book (A Comprehensive Grammar of

the English Language):

He died of hunger. (cause)

He died from exposure. (means)

(3) My daily newspaper is considered one of the top 4 newspapers in the

United States. Every day I check the obituaries (death notices) to see

what prepositions are used. I have found that most (not all) writers say:

She died from the complications of cancer.

(4) I found these examples in Webster's New International Dictionary

2nd Edition Unabridged (1959):

die of old age
die by another's hand [murdered]
die in poverty
a plant dies from lack of care

(5) I found these in Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary of the

English Language (1958):

die of fever
die by violence
die for one's country
die in agony
die to the world [NOTE: this means, I think, that some very religious people do not do the things that most people do. That is, they pay attention only to religious matters -- not to the usual things that interest most people in this world/life.]