0

Why don't we have a preposition after buy in this sentence?

  • Each dollar in my asset column was a great employee,
    working hard to make more employees and buy the boss a new Porsche.
John Lawler
  • 107,887
Luan Pham
  • 131
  • Welcome to EL&U! This might better fit the English Language Learners StackExchange. To answer your question, I suggest you look up the concept of a "double object." For the verb buy here, "the boss" is the indirect object and "a new Porsche" is the direct object. In this construction, a preposition is not required. – TaliesinMerlin Sep 21 '20 at 17:41
  • Which preposition would you expect, and why? – John Lawler Sep 21 '20 at 18:10
  • Some verbs undergo the dative shift (He bought a cycle for me ⇔ He bought me a cycle) while some don't (He acquired a cycle for me ⇔ *He acquired me a cycle). Note that 'for' is dropped in for instance 'and buy the boss a new Porsche'. – Edwin Ashworth Sep 21 '20 at 19:03
  • You could optionally add to to make it ...and to buy the boss a new Porsche. – Davo Sep 21 '20 at 19:13
  • Thank you a lot @TaliesinMerlin, today I learn the "double object verbs" grammar. Thank you a lot. – Luan Pham Sep 22 '20 at 03:03
  • @JohnLawler I've expected the "for", so the sentence should be "...and buy for the boss a new Porsche" – Luan Pham Sep 22 '20 at 03:03
  • Thank you @EdwinAshworth for helping me to clear it. – Luan Pham Sep 22 '20 at 03:03
  • Thank you @Davo <3 – Luan Pham Sep 22 '20 at 03:09
  • @LuanPham The for marks a benefactive construction, not a dative (indirect object), which uses to exclusively, when it uses a preposition at all. The original clause would be (they) buy a Porsche for the boss. The reverse order buy for the boss a Porsche is ungrammatical. [Only* in case the boss winds up owning the Porsche](https://english.stackexchange.com/a/90534/15299) can the clause undergo the Dative alternation, and produce buy the boss a Porsche. If you take a bullet for the boss, you can't say *take the boss a bullet. – John Lawler Sep 22 '20 at 14:00
  • Thank you very much @JohnLawler, today I know "dative" – Luan Pham Sep 23 '20 at 02:59

0 Answers0