LessonsReasons for Omitting the Object: Context, Economy, and ScopeQuiz

An objectless verb may have different rhetorical effects depending on the intended judgment and available context.

ContextPossible rhetorical effectNecessary caution
ما يؤلمBreadth or hyperbole in contextDo not automatically supply “everybody”
An already-known objectA specific recoverable referent is omittedThe context must identify it
No object is intendedThe action or agent is characterizedDo not force an ellipsis
An unexpected objectExpression may preserve the pointDeletion could remove the unusual image

The surface absence of an object is compatible with several different meanings.

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Scope of the omitted object in different contexts

Reasons for Omitting the Object: Context, Economy, and Scope

An objectless verb may have different rhetorical effects depending on the intended judgment and available context.

ContextPossible rhetorical effectNecessary caution
ما يؤلمBreadth or hyperbole in contextDo not automatically supply “everybody”
An already-known objectA specific recoverable referent is omittedThe context must identify it
No object is intendedThe action or agent is characterizedDo not force an ellipsis
An unexpected objectExpression may preserve the pointDeletion could remove the unusual image

The surface absence of an object is compatible with several different meanings.