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"made me paralyzed"

Angelo Duran said he was shot in the lung, bladder, colon and spleen. Duran said there's still a bullet inside his spine, and that has made him paralyzed.

"got me paralyzed"

At 47 years old, David Wagner has lived through a lot. A frisbee accident at 21 got him paralyzed, leaving the sports lover immobile until physical rehab got him back on the court.

In these examples, are there any differences in meaning between them? And also I would like to know when I need to use make someone "the past participle" or get someone "the past participle".

(1)

"I got spine surgery, and the doctor made me disabled."

vs

"I got spine surgery, and the doctor got me disabled."

(2)

"One of my coworkers hates me, and he's been trying to make me fired."

vs

"One of my coworkers hates me, and he's been trying to get me fired."

I don't know which verb I need to use in what situations. Can you teach me the difference between them?

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  • 1
    You don't 'need' to use either. Left me/him paralysed would be more idiomatic, at least in British English.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 13:33
  • Thanks, and I'm trying to understand the difference between them.
    – cdleace
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 13:36
  • Personally, I find made him paralysed less natural than left him paralysed, and got him very informal.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 13:44
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    I think both just illustrate declining media standards, and the need for a good copy editor.
    – jmoreno
    Commented Dec 24, 2023 at 0:37
  • Also, both versions of (1) are very unidiomatic. "I had spinal surgery/surgery on my spine, which left me disabled".
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Dec 24, 2023 at 15:28

2 Answers 2

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Both strike me as rather odd ways to express the same idea.

In the first, "paralyzed" here can be analysed as an adjective. "Made" is a way of indicating a cause. Compare this with, "It made him happy".

In second, "paralyzed" can be analysed as a past participle, and this is a "got" passive. These refer to actions, typically actions with results. Compare this with "get married" (which is more dynamic, in contrast to the more static be married).

So both refer to an action which caused a resulting state of paralysis. But a simpler and better way to express this is just to used the verb "paralyse": The bullet paralysed Angelo. The frisbee accident paralysed David.

The "made me {}" needs an adjective, and "disabled" is an adjective, so "made me disabled" is possible. Get me disabled seems wrong, and unidiomatic, probably because we understand that this was the opposite to what the doctor was trying to achieve.

The verb to "fire" has a participle, but this isn't treated as a proper adjective. It is tied to the action, not the description. And so "made me fired" doesn't work. But get me fired does. It does suggest that the colleague was trying to get you fired.

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  • Thanks. Are you saying they mean the same thing, and what do you mean by "In the first, "paralyzed" here can be analysed as an adjective"? I thought all past particles could serve as adjectives aside from being used to make passive or perfect tenses.
    – cdleace
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 12:51
  • And if they're interchangeable, why "make me fired" is wrong and "got me fired' is correct?
    – cdleace
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 13:06
  • Yes, they mean the same, and both seem to me to be equally awkward. There is always difficulty with deciding if a word is a past participle or adjective. But "made him {adjective} doesn't work well with a participle. Consider "#He made the apple eaten by him" The passive participle phrase doesn't work. So this construction really needs an adjective to work well. (though I'd be happy for counterexamples)
    – James K
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 13:06
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    "made me fired" is another case. "Fired" isn't an adjective, but a participle, and this construction really needs an adjective.
    – James K
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 13:07
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    It's a past participle, which is a non-finite form of a verb.
    – James K
    Commented Dec 23, 2023 at 21:23
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"Made him paralyzed" and "got him paralyzed" mean the same thing. I consider both a little clumsy. I'd say, "paralyzed him". Sometimes people say, "left him paralyzed".

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