LessonsVerb Complements: When the Object Is Not MentionedQuiz

«فُلَانٌ يُعْطِي الدَّنَانِيرَ»
So-and-so gives dinars.

Here the class of what is given has been stated: dinars. The clause therefore supplies information about the object of giving, not just the generous quality of the agent.

By contrast, «فُلَانٌ يُعْطِي» can be intended as an attribution of generosity, without drawing attention to any particular gift. This is not a philosophical assertion that giving could occur in the world with absolutely nothing being given; it is a question of what the utterance makes explicit.

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The point of naming dinars

Verb Complements: When the Object Is Not Mentioned

«فُلَانٌ يُعْطِي الدَّنَانِيرَ»
So-and-so gives dinars.

Here the class of what is given has been stated: dinars. The clause therefore supplies information about the object of giving, not just the generous quality of the agent.

By contrast, «فُلَانٌ يُعْطِي» can be intended as an attribution of generosity, without drawing attention to any particular gift. This is not a philosophical assertion that giving could occur in the world with absolutely nothing being given; it is a question of what the utterance makes explicit.