ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: Threaten

Liveinjapan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:39:21 GMT

Thanks for adjusting my way of understanding, MrW.

Re: Threaten

Mr Wordy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:03:25 GMT

Liveinjapan
I think the definition 'to utter' makes me comfortable.

Hmmm. I don't personally see why it makes any difference if it's an utterance or not. I don't see why "it's threatening to happen" (not an utterance) and "he's threatening to leave" (probably an utterance) should be any different in terms of "transitiveness".

Edit (later addition):

Liveinjapan
It looks like, in the first, "him" is omitted after "threatened."

Although it would accord with the general meaning, there is, syntactically, no implied-but-omitted "him". Certainly not to me, anyway.

Re: Threaten

Liveinjapan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:07:00 GMT

Thanks, Marius.

I think the definition 'to utter' makes me comfortable.

Re: Threaten

Marius Hancu — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:37:05 GMT

>Could you tell me an easy way to tell.

I can't think of any that it would cover all cases. This is a tough verb.

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threat·en

transitive verb
1 : to utter threats against : promise punishment, reprisal, or other distress to <threaten trespassers with arrest>
2 archaic : to charge under pain of punishment : WARN <let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name -- Acts 4:17 (Authorized Version)>
3 : to promise as a threat : hold out by way of menace or warning <threaten punishment to all trespassers>
4 a : to give signs of the approach of (something evil or unpleasant) : indicate as impending : PORTEND <the sky threatens storm> b : to hang over as a threat : MENACE <famine threatens the city>
5 : to announce as intended or possible <threaten to buy a car>

intransitive verb
1 : to utter or use threats or menaces
2 : to have a menacing appearance : portend evil

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com

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Threaten

Liveinjapan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:41:19 GMT

They threatened to kill him unless he did as they asked. "threaten" is transitive according to Cambridge.

If something bad threatens to happen, it is likely to happen: "threaten" is intrasitive, right?

If the bold parts are right, it's a bit difficult for me to tell a transitive from a intransitive. Could you tell me an easy way to tell.

It looks like, in the first, "him" is omitted after "threatened."