Collins Cobuild English Grammar (72 page)

3.68
    Some verbs can describe processes that involve two people or two groups of people doing the same thing to each other. For example,
John and Mary argued
means that John argued with Mary and Mary argued with John.

The pair of you
have argued
about that for years.
He came out and we
hugged
.
They
competed
furiously.

These verbs are called
reciprocal verbs
.

reciprocal verbs with plural subject

3.69
    One of the structures in which you use reciprocal verbs is where the two groups are put together in a plural subject and the verb is then used without an object.

Their faces
touched
.
Their children
are always fighting
.
They
kissed
.

emphasizing equal involvement

3.70
    When you want to emphasize that both participants are equally involved in the action, you put
each other
or
one another
after the verb.

We embraced
each other
.
They kissed
each other
in greeting.
They fought
each other
desperately for it.
The two boys started hitting
one another
.

Here is a list of reciprocal verbs that are used transitively with the pronouns
each other
and
one another
:

consult

cuddle

embrace

engage

fight

hug

kiss

marry

match

meet

touch

With some verbs you need to use a preposition, usually
with
, in front of
each other
or
one another
.

You’ve got to be able to communicate
with each other
.
Third World countries are competing
with each other
for a restricted market.
The two actors began to engage
with one another
.

Here is a list of reciprocal verbs that must be followed by
with
before the pronouns
each other
and
one another
:

agree

alternate

argue

balance

clash

coincide

collide

combine

communicate

conflict

consult

contend

contrast

converse

co-operate

disagree

engage

integrate

mate

merge

mix

quarrel

struggle

Here is a list of verbs that can be used with a preposition other than
with
:

compete (against)

compete (with)

correspond (to)

correspond (with)

fight (against)

fight (with)

part (from)

relate (to)

separate (from)

talk (to)

talk (with)

Note that
consult
,
engage
, and
fight
can be used either with an object or with a preposition.

showing unequal involvement

3.71
    In the examples given above, the speaker or writer believes that both people or groups are equally involved in the event, because both are the subject. However, the user may want to focus on one person more than the other. In this case, a noun that refers to that person is put in subject position.

If the verb can be used with an object, a noun referring to the other participant is used as the object of the verb.

He embraced
her
.
She married
a young engineer
.
You could meet
me
at a restaurant.
He is responsible for killing
many people
.

If the verb needs a preposition after it, the other noun is used as the object of the preposition.

Our return coincided
with the arrival of bad weather
.
Youths clashed
with police
in Belfast.
The distribution of aid corresponds
to need
.

3.72
    People sometimes make one person or group the subject when the event is a violent or unpleasant one, in order to make them appear aggressive or responsible for the violence. For example, the headline
Police clash with youths
might suggest that the police were responsible for the clash, even though the youths also clashed with the police.

Paul
collided with a large man in a sweat-stained shirt.
The role of worker
conflicts with the role of parent.
She liked him even when
she
was quarrelling with him.

Verbs that can have two objects:
give someone something

3.73
    Sometimes you may want to talk about an event that involves someone in addition to the people or things that are the subject and object of the clause. This third participant is someone who benefits from the action or receives something as a result. They become the
indirect object
of the clause. The
direct object
, as usual, is the person or thing that something is done to. For example, in
I gave John a book
,
John
is the indirect object and
the book
is the direct object.

The indirect object is put immediately after the verb, in front of the direct object.

Dad gave
me a car
.
Can you pass
me the sugar
please?
She brought
me a boiled egg and toast
.
He had lent
Tim the money
.
A man promised
him a job
.
The distraction provided
us a chance to relax
. (Am)

indirect objects in phrases that begin with a preposition

3.74
    Instead of putting the indirect object in front of the direct object, it is possible to put it in a phrase beginning with
to
or
for
that comes after the direct object.

He handed his room key
to the receptionist
.
Ralph passed a message
to Jack
.
He gave it
to me
.

This structure is used particularly in cases where you want to focus on the indirect object. You can use it, for example, when the indirect object is significantly longer than the direct object.

He had taught English
to all the youth of Ceylon and India
.
He copied the e-mail to
every single one of his staff
.

pronouns as objects

3.75
    It is normal to use this prepositional structure when the direct object is a pronoun such as
it
or
them
.

I took the bottle and offered
it to Oakley
.
Woodward finished the second page and passed
it to the editor
.
It was the only pound he had and he gave
it to the little boy
.
God has sent
you to me
.

     Note that in informal spoken English, some people put the indirect object in front of the direct object when both objects are pronouns. For example, some people say
He gave me it
rather than
He gave it to me
. Both pronouns are unstressed and both refer to information that is already known, and so it does not matter what order they come in.

indirect objects with
to

3.76
    If you want to put the indirect object in a phrase that begins with a preposition, you use the preposition
to
with some verbs, especially ones where the direct object is something that is transferred from one person to another.

Mr Schell wrote a letter the other day
to the New York Times
.
I had lent my apartment
to a friend
for the weekend.
I took out the black box and handed it
to her
.

Here is a list of verbs that can have an indirect object introduced by
to
:

accord

advance

award

bring

deal

feed

forward

give

grant

hand

lease

leave

lend

loan

mail