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Could you help with this English phrase ? | ||
Tags: Syntax | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| Rykketid Diglot Groupie Italy Joined 4832 days ago 88 posts - 146 votes  Speaks: Italian*, English Studies: French | Message 1 of 9 11 March 2013 at 6:50pm | IP Logged | ||
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It's from A Wizard of Earthsea:
"They are not made pets of.", the part I don't understand is the final "of". 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| dbag Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5021 days ago 605 posts - 1046 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 2 of 9 11 March 2013 at 7:13pm | IP Logged | ||
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Can you provide the whole paragraph?
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| Bobb328 Groupie Canada Joined 4584 days ago 52 posts - 78 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Russian | Message 3 of 9 11 March 2013 at 7:34pm | IP Logged | ||
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"Their teeth are cruel and their temper fierce, so they are not made pets of." is the full quote I believe.
I've never read this book but I'm assuming they're describing something that is cute and small but is actually fierce (like a pitbull or something?). To put it more directly: Their teeth are cruel and their temper fierce, so [that] they are not [thought of as pets/pet- like]. "Made pets of" doesn't mean "made of pets" but rather they could be perceived as pets rather than fierce and cruel but their teeth and temper prove that they are no cute little pets. It's hard to describe but hope that helps. Edited by Bobb328 on 11 March 2013 at 7:39pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| dcbaok Groupie United States Joined 4481 days ago 46 posts - 63 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Mandarin | Message 4 of 9 11 March 2013 at 7:39pm | IP Logged | ||
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This sounds like highly formal language, a rule or edict prohibiting making pets of ... whatever they're talking about.
The author has intentionally used an uncommon construction with the preposition at the end of the sentence to communicate the formality. Passive voice + phrasal verb if I remember my grammar correctly. Don't make pets of them. They are not to be made pets of. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tastyonions Triglot Senior Member United States goo.gl/UIdChYRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4664 days ago 1044 posts - 1823 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish Studies: Italian | Message 5 of 9 11 March 2013 at 9:18pm | IP Logged | ||
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It's the same as saying "[People] don't make pets of them."
A much more common phrase that uses the same construction is "to make fun of." "He was made fun of." "[Someone] made fun of him." 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| James29 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5374 days ago 1265 posts - 2113 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French | Message 6 of 9 23 March 2013 at 5:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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The previous two posts are right on. I feel I should add to any non-native English speaker... do not speak or write that way. I think it is improper (and certainly sounds bad) to end a sentence with a preposition.
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| Josquin Heptaglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4843 days ago 2266 posts - 3992 votes Speaks: German*, English, French, Latin, Italian, Russian, Swedish Studies: Japanese, Irish, Portuguese, Persian | Message 7 of 9 23 March 2013 at 6:37pm | IP Logged | ||
This is one of the most debated points of English grammar and a classical example for a prescriptive approach to grammar instead of a descriptive one. There are so many examples in colloquial language, especially in questions, where everything else but a preposition at the end of the sentence would sound completely weird: "Who(m) did you talk to?" Is there anybody who actually says: "To who(m) did you talk?". Okay, if you intend to sound like 19th century English aristocrat, please go ahead. If not, put the preposition at the end of the sentence for God's sake. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6702 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 8 of 9 23 March 2013 at 6:42pm | IP Logged | ||
Well, maybe. The original quote certainly exemplified a writing style whose snares, lures and complexities I as a mere foreigner shouldn't even be contemplating to let myself be entangled in. The problem is that this specific rule has been abandoned by most Anglophones. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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