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Jeff Morrow
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Both your first and second versions are not idiomatic, at least not in US English.

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage to her

are idiomatic although awkward. What is being proposed, that is suggested, is a marriage.

Your third skews a stock phrase that is archaic in form, "on bended knee." Because it is a stock phrase, altering it sounds odd.

Some of what sounds natural relates to modern conventions involving proposals of marriage in the U.S. In a usual situation, a man offers to give a ring to a woman if she agrees to marry him; the offer and acceptance are a ceremony patterned on the old Latin phrase Do ut des: I give so that you will give. The gift is not technically made until she accepts the proposal of marriage, or, perhaps more realistically, her acceptance of the ring represents acceptance of the proposed marriage, and taking physical possession of the ring is almost always accompanied by overt words of assent to the proposed marriage.

Thus, what are more characterizationscharacteristic are

He proposed

He proposed by offering her an engagement ring

He proposed marriage

He proposed marriage by offering her an engagement ring

He offered her an engagement ring to propose

He offered her an engagement ring to propose marriage

On bended knee, he proposed

On bended knee, he offered her an engagement ring

Both your first and second versions are not idiomatic, at least not in US English.

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage to her

are idiomatic although awkward. What is being proposed, that is suggested, is a marriage.

Your third skews a stock phrase that is archaic in form, "on bended knee." Because it is a stock phrase, altering it sounds odd.

Some of what sounds natural relates to modern conventions involving proposals of marriage in the U.S. In a usual situation, a man offers to give a ring to a woman if she agrees to marry him; the offer and acceptance are a ceremony patterned on the old Latin phrase Do ut des: I give so that you will give. The gift is not technically made until she accepts the proposal of marriage.

Thus, what are more characterizations are

He proposed

He proposed by offering her an engagement ring

He proposed marriage

He proposed marriage by offering her an engagement ring

He offered her an engagement ring to propose

He offered her an engagement ring to propose marriage

On bended knee, he proposed

On bended knee, he offered her an engagement ring

Both your first and second versions are not idiomatic, at least not in US English.

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage to her

are idiomatic although awkward. What is being proposed, that is suggested, is a marriage.

Your third skews a stock phrase that is archaic in form, "on bended knee." Because it is a stock phrase, altering it sounds odd.

Some of what sounds natural relates to modern conventions involving proposals of marriage in the U.S. In a usual situation, a man offers to give a ring to a woman if she agrees to marry him; the offer and acceptance are a ceremony patterned on the old Latin phrase Do ut des: I give so that you will give. The gift is not technically made until she accepts the proposal of marriage, or, perhaps more realistically, her acceptance of the ring represents acceptance of the proposed marriage, and taking physical possession of the ring is almost always accompanied by overt words of assent to the proposed marriage.

Thus, what are more characteristic are

He proposed

He proposed by offering her an engagement ring

He proposed marriage

He proposed marriage by offering her an engagement ring

He offered her an engagement ring to propose

He offered her an engagement ring to propose marriage

On bended knee, he proposed

On bended knee, he offered her an engagement ring

Source Link
Jeff Morrow
  • 32.2k
  • 26
  • 58

Both your first and second versions are not idiomatic, at least not in US English.

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage

He gave her a ring while proposing marriage to her

are idiomatic although awkward. What is being proposed, that is suggested, is a marriage.

Your third skews a stock phrase that is archaic in form, "on bended knee." Because it is a stock phrase, altering it sounds odd.

Some of what sounds natural relates to modern conventions involving proposals of marriage in the U.S. In a usual situation, a man offers to give a ring to a woman if she agrees to marry him; the offer and acceptance are a ceremony patterned on the old Latin phrase Do ut des: I give so that you will give. The gift is not technically made until she accepts the proposal of marriage.

Thus, what are more characterizations are

He proposed

He proposed by offering her an engagement ring

He proposed marriage

He proposed marriage by offering her an engagement ring

He offered her an engagement ring to propose

He offered her an engagement ring to propose marriage

On bended knee, he proposed

On bended knee, he offered her an engagement ring