I have a question about the usage of "pay":
- He paid the agent $100.
- He paid $100 to the agent.
Is the second pattern nonstandard? I don't seem to be able to find it in dictionaries.
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Sign up to join this communityI have a question about the usage of "pay":
- He paid the agent $100.
- He paid $100 to the agent.
Is the second pattern nonstandard? I don't seem to be able to find it in dictionaries.
As others have said, both are standard. For when to use which, I would suggest that in both sentences mild emphasis is placed on the last part—so in
He paid the agent $100.
one could read it to be emphasizing the amount of money paid, while
He paid $100 to the agent.
could be understood to emphasize that it's to the agent that the money was paid.
- He paid the agent $100.
- He paid $100 to the agent.
This is a normal pattern for verbs like
These verbs all take two Objects. One Object is the thing that is being given. The other Object is the person or thing who receives it. The thing that is given is called the DIRECT OBJECT. The person receiving it is the INDIRECT OBJECT. The normal phrase order in English is to put the Indirect Object first, and the Direct Object second:
However sometimes we want to move the Indirect Object to the end of the sentence. When we do this we need to put the Direct Object first. With verbs like GIVE, we need to use the preposition to before the Indirect Object when it comes second:
Some verbs that take Indirect Objects use the preposition for when the Direct Object comes first. They don't use the preposition to. Here are some of the verbs that take for:
Here are some example sentences with the Indirect Object first:
Here are some examples with the Direct Object first:
Hope this is helpful!
[Note When the Indirect Object comes second, it is not really an object of the verb any more. Instead it is part of a Preposition Phrase. It is the Preposition Phrase that is the complement of the verb]
Ref: I got my list of verbs from this British Council website
Both are same but as I said in your other question (quite similar?), it depends whether you want to use the verb 'pay' as a transitive or intransitive.
He paid the agent .... (verb taking direct object)
He paid ....to the agent... (verb not taking direct object)
As we see, the verb 'pay' is both -transitive and intransitive.