GoldfishLord
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2016
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Korean
- Home Country
- South Korea
- Current Location
- South Korea
Kelly B:
Yes, you understand it correctly. The structure allows for ambiguity - it avoids the need to specify him/her/somebody.
I told somebody to kill him: OK
I ordered him to be killed: not really - him is not the direct object of ordered
I ordered to kill him: no
I ordered that he be killed: another possibility.
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Le Pamplemousse:
Kelly, while it is true that "him" is not the object of the order, the original construction (I ordered him killed) appears that way also, and is, I believe, a shortened version of "I ordered him to be killed".
Although, I can't give a good reason why it appears this way.
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(Retrieved from https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/i-ordered-him-killed.86364/#post-586557)
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I'd like to know if the two "appears"'s mean "to seem".
Yes, you understand it correctly. The structure allows for ambiguity - it avoids the need to specify him/her/somebody.
I told somebody to kill him: OK
I ordered him to be killed: not really - him is not the direct object of ordered
I ordered to kill him: no
I ordered that he be killed: another possibility.
--------------
Le Pamplemousse:
Kelly, while it is true that "him" is not the object of the order, the original construction (I ordered him killed) appears that way also, and is, I believe, a shortened version of "I ordered him to be killed".
Although, I can't give a good reason why it appears this way.
----------------
(Retrieved from https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/i-ordered-him-killed.86364/#post-586557)
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I'd like to know if the two "appears"'s mean "to seem".
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