[Answered] He died happy/happily.

[wotcha]

We say

1. She died young.

but we don't say

2. She died happy.


We say

3. She died happily.


What if my students ask me why not 'died happy' like 'died young'?

Is there any way to explain it grammatically?

Or do I have to say 'it's just the way they speak?'



P.S: Friday is coming~

 

[5jj]

We say 1. She died young.

but we don't say 2. She died happy.

Yes we do.

We say 3. She died happily.

We don't, usually.

 

[wotcha]

Yes we do.We don't, usually.

Then my grammar book has another error in it.

 

[Rover_KE]

It certainly does.

Time for a change.

 

[bhaisahab]

Then my grammar book has another error in it.

What is the title of your grammar book, and who is the author?

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

NOT A TEACHER

It's an interesting question. "We" do say, 'He died peacefully in his sleep' so "die" doesn't always go with an adjective, just to make sure.

This is what I got from a different forum:

The grammar point is that the different parts of speech indicate different conditions:

He died happy = He was happy [about the sunshine or his new hat, perhaps] at the moment he died.
He died happily = He was happy that he was dying.

'They all lived happily ever after' is as much a fixed expression as an arguing point for its grammar.

happy / happily

 

[5jj]

It's an interesting question. "We" do say, 'He died peacefully in his sleep' so die doesn't always go with an adjective, just to make sure.

This is what I got from a different forum:

The grammar point is that the different parts of speech indicate different conditions:

He died happy = He was happy [about the sunshine or his new hat, perhaps] at the moment he died.
He died happily = He was happy that he was dying.

'They all lived happily ever after' is as much a fixed expression as an arguing point for its grammar.

That's fine. What I, and others, were disputing was the bare statements made in the first post.