Mixing
What does “I made him a cake” mean?
Is it correct sentence below?
And what does it mean? Also, how is it working grammatically?
I made him a cake.
- I made a cake for him.
- I baked a cake using him. (Sounds so horrible!)
To me, 1 is more natural but I am not sure.
I've never seen that kind of sentence before.
Is "I made him a cake" a common sentence used by native speakers?
meaning indirect-objects
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
|
show 4 more comments
Is it correct sentence below?
And what does it mean? Also, how is it working grammatically?
I made him a cake.
- I made a cake for him.
- I baked a cake using him. (Sounds so horrible!)
To me, 1 is more natural but I am not sure.
I've never seen that kind of sentence before.
Is "I made him a cake" a common sentence used by native speakers?
meaning indirect-objects
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
7
Any other fans of The IT Crowd instantly think of a certain German who wishes to cook "with" Moss?
– dwizum
Jan 7 at 19:35
1
For #2, it would be more natural to say "I made him INTO a cake." Though that would not work very well: a roast or a stew, sure, but cake? Further discussion should go to the Cooking site :-)
– jamesqf
Jan 7 at 20:00
3
If "I made him a cake" was spoken by Endora (from the Bewitched TV show), the phrase could literally mean she magically turned him into a cake. But in the real, non-magic, world, people are generally understood to NOT be baked goods or ingredients.
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 22:19
5
@dwizum or of The Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man" (spoiler alert: "It's a Cookbook!!!")
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 23:42
5
#2 is a dad joke and it's more common than any of us want it to be.
– Mazura
Jan 8 at 1:37
|
show 4 more comments
Is it correct sentence below?
And what does it mean? Also, how is it working grammatically?
I made him a cake.
- I made a cake for him.
- I baked a cake using him. (Sounds so horrible!)
To me, 1 is more natural but I am not sure.
I've never seen that kind of sentence before.
Is "I made him a cake" a common sentence used by native speakers?
meaning indirect-objects
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
Is it correct sentence below?
And what does it mean? Also, how is it working grammatically?
I made him a cake.
- I made a cake for him.
- I baked a cake using him. (Sounds so horrible!)
To me, 1 is more natural but I am not sure.
I've never seen that kind of sentence before.
Is "I made him a cake" a common sentence used by native speakers?
meaning indirect-objects
meaning indirect-objects
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
edited Jan 7 at 14:55
M.A.R. ಠ_ಠ
6,32953060
6,32953060
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
asked Jan 7 at 13:30
Ldeirjckel5489Ldeirjckel5489
13415
13415
7
Any other fans of The IT Crowd instantly think of a certain German who wishes to cook "with" Moss?
– dwizum
Jan 7 at 19:35
1
For #2, it would be more natural to say "I made him INTO a cake." Though that would not work very well: a roast or a stew, sure, but cake? Further discussion should go to the Cooking site :-)
– jamesqf
Jan 7 at 20:00
3
If "I made him a cake" was spoken by Endora (from the Bewitched TV show), the phrase could literally mean she magically turned him into a cake. But in the real, non-magic, world, people are generally understood to NOT be baked goods or ingredients.
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 22:19
5
@dwizum or of The Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man" (spoiler alert: "It's a Cookbook!!!")
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 23:42
5
#2 is a dad joke and it's more common than any of us want it to be.
– Mazura
Jan 8 at 1:37
|
show 4 more comments
7
Any other fans of The IT Crowd instantly think of a certain German who wishes to cook "with" Moss?
– dwizum
Jan 7 at 19:35
1
For #2, it would be more natural to say "I made him INTO a cake." Though that would not work very well: a roast or a stew, sure, but cake? Further discussion should go to the Cooking site :-)
– jamesqf
Jan 7 at 20:00
3
If "I made him a cake" was spoken by Endora (from the Bewitched TV show), the phrase could literally mean she magically turned him into a cake. But in the real, non-magic, world, people are generally understood to NOT be baked goods or ingredients.
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 22:19
5
@dwizum or of The Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man" (spoiler alert: "It's a Cookbook!!!")
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 23:42
5
#2 is a dad joke and it's more common than any of us want it to be.
– Mazura
Jan 8 at 1:37
7
7
Any other fans of The IT Crowd instantly think of a certain German who wishes to cook "with" Moss?
– dwizum
Jan 7 at 19:35
Any other fans of The IT Crowd instantly think of a certain German who wishes to cook "with" Moss?
– dwizum
Jan 7 at 19:35
1
1
For #2, it would be more natural to say "I made him INTO a cake." Though that would not work very well: a roast or a stew, sure, but cake? Further discussion should go to the Cooking site :-)
– jamesqf
Jan 7 at 20:00
For #2, it would be more natural to say "I made him INTO a cake." Though that would not work very well: a roast or a stew, sure, but cake? Further discussion should go to the Cooking site :-)
– jamesqf
Jan 7 at 20:00
3
3
If "I made him a cake" was spoken by Endora (from the Bewitched TV show), the phrase could literally mean she magically turned him into a cake. But in the real, non-magic, world, people are generally understood to NOT be baked goods or ingredients.
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 22:19
If "I made him a cake" was spoken by Endora (from the Bewitched TV show), the phrase could literally mean she magically turned him into a cake. But in the real, non-magic, world, people are generally understood to NOT be baked goods or ingredients.
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 22:19
5
5
@dwizum or of The Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man" (spoiler alert: "It's a Cookbook!!!")
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 23:42
@dwizum or of The Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man" (spoiler alert: "It's a Cookbook!!!")
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 23:42
5
5
#2 is a dad joke and it's more common than any of us want it to be.
– Mazura
Jan 8 at 1:37
#2 is a dad joke and it's more common than any of us want it to be.
– Mazura
Jan 8 at 1:37
|
show 4 more comments
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
Your interpretation 1 is correct - I made him a cake means the same as I made a cake for him. This is indeed a common construction in English, and would generally be understood.
There is a subtle difference between I made him a cake and I made a cake for him, though. I made him a cake would indicate that you are making a cake that you will give to him. I made a cake for him could indicate the same, or it could mean that you made a cake on his behalf.
Your second interpretation - I baked a cake using him - would probably be phrased as I made him into a cake
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
27
Though it bears mentioning that "I made him a cake" could have the same meaning as "I made him into a cake", if someone wanted to hide their cannibalism while still being truthful for example.
– EldritchWarlord
Jan 7 at 16:09
16
It reminds me of that old joke: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It went down the lane and turned into a field.
– JonM
Jan 7 at 16:33
5
Don't ask a witch to make you a cake.
– Barmar
Jan 7 at 16:59
11
Reminds me of the early days of Siri when it was truly useless: "Hey Siri, call me an ambulance!" "OK, from now on I will call you 'An Ambulance'".
– Muzer
Jan 7 at 17:05
12
And of course, "The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog cart and says 'Make me one with everything'"
– MikeTheLiar
Jan 7 at 20:11
|
show 7 more comments
In English, you will commonly encounter sentences of the form: Subject - Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object, where the direct object (cake/warning/present) describes "on what" the verb is acting and the indirect object (him) provides a second target, often describing "for what" or "to what" the verb is doing to the direct object.
Examples:
- I - made - him - a cake
- I - gave - him - a present
- I - told - him - a story
You may be confused because there are many meanings for "make". Going by the definitions at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make:
- make (3) - to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material. Example:
I made a cake
- make (9) - to cause to be or become. Example: I made her happy.
So both the interpretations "I made(3) him a cake" (I made a cake, for him) and "I made(9) him a cake" (I transformed him into a cake) are grammatically correct, but you would use your understanding of the context to know that in most cases the speaker meant made(3) and not made(9).
To add another example, consider the similar phrase "I'm going to make you a star." Usually you would take that to mean "I will cause you to become a success" but it is not unlikely that "I will cut a star out of paper and hand it to you"
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
Is "I made a cake for him" better English? If yes, both in formal and spoken communication? Is skipping words like "for" a trend in English to shorten sentences(perhaps caused by rapid urbanization. Where one has to just communicate essentials using minimal words because of lack of time). Example, I grew up learning "He broke his leg" would suggest he was at least partially responsible of his broken leg as opposed to "He leg got broken".
– qqqqq
Jan 7 at 21:10
3
@qqqqq: My impression is that “I made him a cake” and “I made a cake for him” would both be common, idiomatic English, in both formal and casual contexts. (I suspect I'd be a little more likely to say the former, simply because it's slightly shorter and simpler.) The construction is at least two centuries old, possibly much more; it's certainly not a recent trend.
– gidds
Jan 7 at 21:42
1
I'd say "made him a cake" is a natural idiom in English, though one might say "baked" instead of "made". Compare this line from a popular children's rhyme: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can." I agree the meaning would be make(3) in this context, though it also could be a play on words, in which case both the meanings make(3) and make(9) would apply.
– David K
Jan 8 at 17:08
@qqqqq There is a typo. Someone please replace ""He leg got broken" by ""His leg got broken". I am not allowed to edit it.
– qqqqq
Jan 8 at 18:35
@DavidK unfortunately it's always a play on words ;o)
– Will Crawford
Jan 9 at 3:50
add a comment |
Some verbs, (known as ditransitive) have both a direct and an indirect object, which can be expressed either way round; but if the direct object comes first, the indirect requires its preposition "to":
I gave the book to him = I gave him the book.
In addition any verb which does not normally take an indirect object can have a benefactive complement introduced by "for", and in many cases this benefactive can come before the direct object in exactly the same way as for ditransitive verbs.
Examples:
I made/baked him a cake = I made/baked a cake for him.
He bought me a book = He bought a book for me.
Keep me a seat! = Keep a seat for me.
I cut her a slice [of cake] = I cut a slice [of cake] for her.
I think there is a semantic restriction that the beneficiary is going to have, or use, or enjoy the result of the action, not just the action happening. So
Wash me a cup = Wash a cup for me (that I can use).
but I don't think I would say
?Wash me the laundry
even though I might say "Wash the laundry for me".
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "481"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f192140%2fwhat-does-i-made-him-a-cake-mean%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Your interpretation 1 is correct - I made him a cake means the same as I made a cake for him. This is indeed a common construction in English, and would generally be understood.
There is a subtle difference between I made him a cake and I made a cake for him, though. I made him a cake would indicate that you are making a cake that you will give to him. I made a cake for him could indicate the same, or it could mean that you made a cake on his behalf.
Your second interpretation - I baked a cake using him - would probably be phrased as I made him into a cake
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
27
Though it bears mentioning that "I made him a cake" could have the same meaning as "I made him into a cake", if someone wanted to hide their cannibalism while still being truthful for example.
– EldritchWarlord
Jan 7 at 16:09
16
It reminds me of that old joke: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It went down the lane and turned into a field.
– JonM
Jan 7 at 16:33
5
Don't ask a witch to make you a cake.
– Barmar
Jan 7 at 16:59
11
Reminds me of the early days of Siri when it was truly useless: "Hey Siri, call me an ambulance!" "OK, from now on I will call you 'An Ambulance'".
– Muzer
Jan 7 at 17:05
12
And of course, "The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog cart and says 'Make me one with everything'"
– MikeTheLiar
Jan 7 at 20:11
|
show 7 more comments
Your interpretation 1 is correct - I made him a cake means the same as I made a cake for him. This is indeed a common construction in English, and would generally be understood.
There is a subtle difference between I made him a cake and I made a cake for him, though. I made him a cake would indicate that you are making a cake that you will give to him. I made a cake for him could indicate the same, or it could mean that you made a cake on his behalf.
Your second interpretation - I baked a cake using him - would probably be phrased as I made him into a cake
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
27
Though it bears mentioning that "I made him a cake" could have the same meaning as "I made him into a cake", if someone wanted to hide their cannibalism while still being truthful for example.
– EldritchWarlord
Jan 7 at 16:09
16
It reminds me of that old joke: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It went down the lane and turned into a field.
– JonM
Jan 7 at 16:33
5
Don't ask a witch to make you a cake.
– Barmar
Jan 7 at 16:59
11
Reminds me of the early days of Siri when it was truly useless: "Hey Siri, call me an ambulance!" "OK, from now on I will call you 'An Ambulance'".
– Muzer
Jan 7 at 17:05
12
And of course, "The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog cart and says 'Make me one with everything'"
– MikeTheLiar
Jan 7 at 20:11
|
show 7 more comments
Your interpretation 1 is correct - I made him a cake means the same as I made a cake for him. This is indeed a common construction in English, and would generally be understood.
There is a subtle difference between I made him a cake and I made a cake for him, though. I made him a cake would indicate that you are making a cake that you will give to him. I made a cake for him could indicate the same, or it could mean that you made a cake on his behalf.
Your second interpretation - I baked a cake using him - would probably be phrased as I made him into a cake
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
Your interpretation 1 is correct - I made him a cake means the same as I made a cake for him. This is indeed a common construction in English, and would generally be understood.
There is a subtle difference between I made him a cake and I made a cake for him, though. I made him a cake would indicate that you are making a cake that you will give to him. I made a cake for him could indicate the same, or it could mean that you made a cake on his behalf.
Your second interpretation - I baked a cake using him - would probably be phrased as I made him into a cake
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
answered Jan 7 at 13:56
WerrfWerrf
4,7061017
4,7061017
27
Though it bears mentioning that "I made him a cake" could have the same meaning as "I made him into a cake", if someone wanted to hide their cannibalism while still being truthful for example.
– EldritchWarlord
Jan 7 at 16:09
16
It reminds me of that old joke: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It went down the lane and turned into a field.
– JonM
Jan 7 at 16:33
5
Don't ask a witch to make you a cake.
– Barmar
Jan 7 at 16:59
11
Reminds me of the early days of Siri when it was truly useless: "Hey Siri, call me an ambulance!" "OK, from now on I will call you 'An Ambulance'".
– Muzer
Jan 7 at 17:05
12
And of course, "The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog cart and says 'Make me one with everything'"
– MikeTheLiar
Jan 7 at 20:11
|
show 7 more comments
27
Though it bears mentioning that "I made him a cake" could have the same meaning as "I made him into a cake", if someone wanted to hide their cannibalism while still being truthful for example.
– EldritchWarlord
Jan 7 at 16:09
16
It reminds me of that old joke: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It went down the lane and turned into a field.
– JonM
Jan 7 at 16:33
5
Don't ask a witch to make you a cake.
– Barmar
Jan 7 at 16:59
11
Reminds me of the early days of Siri when it was truly useless: "Hey Siri, call me an ambulance!" "OK, from now on I will call you 'An Ambulance'".
– Muzer
Jan 7 at 17:05
12
And of course, "The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog cart and says 'Make me one with everything'"
– MikeTheLiar
Jan 7 at 20:11
27
27
Though it bears mentioning that "I made him a cake" could have the same meaning as "I made him into a cake", if someone wanted to hide their cannibalism while still being truthful for example.
– EldritchWarlord
Jan 7 at 16:09
Though it bears mentioning that "I made him a cake" could have the same meaning as "I made him into a cake", if someone wanted to hide their cannibalism while still being truthful for example.
– EldritchWarlord
Jan 7 at 16:09
16
16
It reminds me of that old joke: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It went down the lane and turned into a field.
– JonM
Jan 7 at 16:33
It reminds me of that old joke: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It went down the lane and turned into a field.
– JonM
Jan 7 at 16:33
5
5
Don't ask a witch to make you a cake.
– Barmar
Jan 7 at 16:59
Don't ask a witch to make you a cake.
– Barmar
Jan 7 at 16:59
11
11
Reminds me of the early days of Siri when it was truly useless: "Hey Siri, call me an ambulance!" "OK, from now on I will call you 'An Ambulance'".
– Muzer
Jan 7 at 17:05
Reminds me of the early days of Siri when it was truly useless: "Hey Siri, call me an ambulance!" "OK, from now on I will call you 'An Ambulance'".
– Muzer
Jan 7 at 17:05
12
12
And of course, "The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog cart and says 'Make me one with everything'"
– MikeTheLiar
Jan 7 at 20:11
And of course, "The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog cart and says 'Make me one with everything'"
– MikeTheLiar
Jan 7 at 20:11
|
show 7 more comments
In English, you will commonly encounter sentences of the form: Subject - Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object, where the direct object (cake/warning/present) describes "on what" the verb is acting and the indirect object (him) provides a second target, often describing "for what" or "to what" the verb is doing to the direct object.
Examples:
- I - made - him - a cake
- I - gave - him - a present
- I - told - him - a story
You may be confused because there are many meanings for "make". Going by the definitions at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make:
- make (3) - to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material. Example:
I made a cake
- make (9) - to cause to be or become. Example: I made her happy.
So both the interpretations "I made(3) him a cake" (I made a cake, for him) and "I made(9) him a cake" (I transformed him into a cake) are grammatically correct, but you would use your understanding of the context to know that in most cases the speaker meant made(3) and not made(9).
To add another example, consider the similar phrase "I'm going to make you a star." Usually you would take that to mean "I will cause you to become a success" but it is not unlikely that "I will cut a star out of paper and hand it to you"
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
Is "I made a cake for him" better English? If yes, both in formal and spoken communication? Is skipping words like "for" a trend in English to shorten sentences(perhaps caused by rapid urbanization. Where one has to just communicate essentials using minimal words because of lack of time). Example, I grew up learning "He broke his leg" would suggest he was at least partially responsible of his broken leg as opposed to "He leg got broken".
– qqqqq
Jan 7 at 21:10
3
@qqqqq: My impression is that “I made him a cake” and “I made a cake for him” would both be common, idiomatic English, in both formal and casual contexts. (I suspect I'd be a little more likely to say the former, simply because it's slightly shorter and simpler.) The construction is at least two centuries old, possibly much more; it's certainly not a recent trend.
– gidds
Jan 7 at 21:42
1
I'd say "made him a cake" is a natural idiom in English, though one might say "baked" instead of "made". Compare this line from a popular children's rhyme: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can." I agree the meaning would be make(3) in this context, though it also could be a play on words, in which case both the meanings make(3) and make(9) would apply.
– David K
Jan 8 at 17:08
@qqqqq There is a typo. Someone please replace ""He leg got broken" by ""His leg got broken". I am not allowed to edit it.
– qqqqq
Jan 8 at 18:35
@DavidK unfortunately it's always a play on words ;o)
– Will Crawford
Jan 9 at 3:50
add a comment |
In English, you will commonly encounter sentences of the form: Subject - Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object, where the direct object (cake/warning/present) describes "on what" the verb is acting and the indirect object (him) provides a second target, often describing "for what" or "to what" the verb is doing to the direct object.
Examples:
- I - made - him - a cake
- I - gave - him - a present
- I - told - him - a story
You may be confused because there are many meanings for "make". Going by the definitions at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make:
- make (3) - to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material. Example:
I made a cake
- make (9) - to cause to be or become. Example: I made her happy.
So both the interpretations "I made(3) him a cake" (I made a cake, for him) and "I made(9) him a cake" (I transformed him into a cake) are grammatically correct, but you would use your understanding of the context to know that in most cases the speaker meant made(3) and not made(9).
To add another example, consider the similar phrase "I'm going to make you a star." Usually you would take that to mean "I will cause you to become a success" but it is not unlikely that "I will cut a star out of paper and hand it to you"
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
Is "I made a cake for him" better English? If yes, both in formal and spoken communication? Is skipping words like "for" a trend in English to shorten sentences(perhaps caused by rapid urbanization. Where one has to just communicate essentials using minimal words because of lack of time). Example, I grew up learning "He broke his leg" would suggest he was at least partially responsible of his broken leg as opposed to "He leg got broken".
– qqqqq
Jan 7 at 21:10
3
@qqqqq: My impression is that “I made him a cake” and “I made a cake for him” would both be common, idiomatic English, in both formal and casual contexts. (I suspect I'd be a little more likely to say the former, simply because it's slightly shorter and simpler.) The construction is at least two centuries old, possibly much more; it's certainly not a recent trend.
– gidds
Jan 7 at 21:42
1
I'd say "made him a cake" is a natural idiom in English, though one might say "baked" instead of "made". Compare this line from a popular children's rhyme: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can." I agree the meaning would be make(3) in this context, though it also could be a play on words, in which case both the meanings make(3) and make(9) would apply.
– David K
Jan 8 at 17:08
@qqqqq There is a typo. Someone please replace ""He leg got broken" by ""His leg got broken". I am not allowed to edit it.
– qqqqq
Jan 8 at 18:35
@DavidK unfortunately it's always a play on words ;o)
– Will Crawford
Jan 9 at 3:50
add a comment |
In English, you will commonly encounter sentences of the form: Subject - Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object, where the direct object (cake/warning/present) describes "on what" the verb is acting and the indirect object (him) provides a second target, often describing "for what" or "to what" the verb is doing to the direct object.
Examples:
- I - made - him - a cake
- I - gave - him - a present
- I - told - him - a story
You may be confused because there are many meanings for "make". Going by the definitions at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make:
- make (3) - to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material. Example:
I made a cake
- make (9) - to cause to be or become. Example: I made her happy.
So both the interpretations "I made(3) him a cake" (I made a cake, for him) and "I made(9) him a cake" (I transformed him into a cake) are grammatically correct, but you would use your understanding of the context to know that in most cases the speaker meant made(3) and not made(9).
To add another example, consider the similar phrase "I'm going to make you a star." Usually you would take that to mean "I will cause you to become a success" but it is not unlikely that "I will cut a star out of paper and hand it to you"
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
In English, you will commonly encounter sentences of the form: Subject - Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object, where the direct object (cake/warning/present) describes "on what" the verb is acting and the indirect object (him) provides a second target, often describing "for what" or "to what" the verb is doing to the direct object.
Examples:
- I - made - him - a cake
- I - gave - him - a present
- I - told - him - a story
You may be confused because there are many meanings for "make". Going by the definitions at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make:
- make (3) - to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material. Example:
I made a cake
- make (9) - to cause to be or become. Example: I made her happy.
So both the interpretations "I made(3) him a cake" (I made a cake, for him) and "I made(9) him a cake" (I transformed him into a cake) are grammatically correct, but you would use your understanding of the context to know that in most cases the speaker meant made(3) and not made(9).
To add another example, consider the similar phrase "I'm going to make you a star." Usually you would take that to mean "I will cause you to become a success" but it is not unlikely that "I will cut a star out of paper and hand it to you"
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
edited Jan 7 at 18:31
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
answered Jan 7 at 18:00
JimmyJimmy
60628
60628
Is "I made a cake for him" better English? If yes, both in formal and spoken communication? Is skipping words like "for" a trend in English to shorten sentences(perhaps caused by rapid urbanization. Where one has to just communicate essentials using minimal words because of lack of time). Example, I grew up learning "He broke his leg" would suggest he was at least partially responsible of his broken leg as opposed to "He leg got broken".
– qqqqq
Jan 7 at 21:10
3
@qqqqq: My impression is that “I made him a cake” and “I made a cake for him” would both be common, idiomatic English, in both formal and casual contexts. (I suspect I'd be a little more likely to say the former, simply because it's slightly shorter and simpler.) The construction is at least two centuries old, possibly much more; it's certainly not a recent trend.
– gidds
Jan 7 at 21:42
1
I'd say "made him a cake" is a natural idiom in English, though one might say "baked" instead of "made". Compare this line from a popular children's rhyme: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can." I agree the meaning would be make(3) in this context, though it also could be a play on words, in which case both the meanings make(3) and make(9) would apply.
– David K
Jan 8 at 17:08
@qqqqq There is a typo. Someone please replace ""He leg got broken" by ""His leg got broken". I am not allowed to edit it.
– qqqqq
Jan 8 at 18:35
@DavidK unfortunately it's always a play on words ;o)
– Will Crawford
Jan 9 at 3:50
add a comment |
Is "I made a cake for him" better English? If yes, both in formal and spoken communication? Is skipping words like "for" a trend in English to shorten sentences(perhaps caused by rapid urbanization. Where one has to just communicate essentials using minimal words because of lack of time). Example, I grew up learning "He broke his leg" would suggest he was at least partially responsible of his broken leg as opposed to "He leg got broken".
– qqqqq
Jan 7 at 21:10
3
@qqqqq: My impression is that “I made him a cake” and “I made a cake for him” would both be common, idiomatic English, in both formal and casual contexts. (I suspect I'd be a little more likely to say the former, simply because it's slightly shorter and simpler.) The construction is at least two centuries old, possibly much more; it's certainly not a recent trend.
– gidds
Jan 7 at 21:42
1
I'd say "made him a cake" is a natural idiom in English, though one might say "baked" instead of "made". Compare this line from a popular children's rhyme: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can." I agree the meaning would be make(3) in this context, though it also could be a play on words, in which case both the meanings make(3) and make(9) would apply.
– David K
Jan 8 at 17:08
@qqqqq There is a typo. Someone please replace ""He leg got broken" by ""His leg got broken". I am not allowed to edit it.
– qqqqq
Jan 8 at 18:35
@DavidK unfortunately it's always a play on words ;o)
– Will Crawford
Jan 9 at 3:50
Is "I made a cake for him" better English? If yes, both in formal and spoken communication? Is skipping words like "for" a trend in English to shorten sentences(perhaps caused by rapid urbanization. Where one has to just communicate essentials using minimal words because of lack of time). Example, I grew up learning "He broke his leg" would suggest he was at least partially responsible of his broken leg as opposed to "He leg got broken".
– qqqqq
Jan 7 at 21:10
Is "I made a cake for him" better English? If yes, both in formal and spoken communication? Is skipping words like "for" a trend in English to shorten sentences(perhaps caused by rapid urbanization. Where one has to just communicate essentials using minimal words because of lack of time). Example, I grew up learning "He broke his leg" would suggest he was at least partially responsible of his broken leg as opposed to "He leg got broken".
– qqqqq
Jan 7 at 21:10
3
3
@qqqqq: My impression is that “I made him a cake” and “I made a cake for him” would both be common, idiomatic English, in both formal and casual contexts. (I suspect I'd be a little more likely to say the former, simply because it's slightly shorter and simpler.) The construction is at least two centuries old, possibly much more; it's certainly not a recent trend.
– gidds
Jan 7 at 21:42
@qqqqq: My impression is that “I made him a cake” and “I made a cake for him” would both be common, idiomatic English, in both formal and casual contexts. (I suspect I'd be a little more likely to say the former, simply because it's slightly shorter and simpler.) The construction is at least two centuries old, possibly much more; it's certainly not a recent trend.
– gidds
Jan 7 at 21:42
1
1
I'd say "made him a cake" is a natural idiom in English, though one might say "baked" instead of "made". Compare this line from a popular children's rhyme: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can." I agree the meaning would be make(3) in this context, though it also could be a play on words, in which case both the meanings make(3) and make(9) would apply.
– David K
Jan 8 at 17:08
I'd say "made him a cake" is a natural idiom in English, though one might say "baked" instead of "made". Compare this line from a popular children's rhyme: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can." I agree the meaning would be make(3) in this context, though it also could be a play on words, in which case both the meanings make(3) and make(9) would apply.
– David K
Jan 8 at 17:08
@qqqqq There is a typo. Someone please replace ""He leg got broken" by ""His leg got broken". I am not allowed to edit it.
– qqqqq
Jan 8 at 18:35
@qqqqq There is a typo. Someone please replace ""He leg got broken" by ""His leg got broken". I am not allowed to edit it.
– qqqqq
Jan 8 at 18:35
@DavidK unfortunately it's always a play on words ;o)
– Will Crawford
Jan 9 at 3:50
@DavidK unfortunately it's always a play on words ;o)
– Will Crawford
Jan 9 at 3:50
add a comment |
Some verbs, (known as ditransitive) have both a direct and an indirect object, which can be expressed either way round; but if the direct object comes first, the indirect requires its preposition "to":
I gave the book to him = I gave him the book.
In addition any verb which does not normally take an indirect object can have a benefactive complement introduced by "for", and in many cases this benefactive can come before the direct object in exactly the same way as for ditransitive verbs.
Examples:
I made/baked him a cake = I made/baked a cake for him.
He bought me a book = He bought a book for me.
Keep me a seat! = Keep a seat for me.
I cut her a slice [of cake] = I cut a slice [of cake] for her.
I think there is a semantic restriction that the beneficiary is going to have, or use, or enjoy the result of the action, not just the action happening. So
Wash me a cup = Wash a cup for me (that I can use).
but I don't think I would say
?Wash me the laundry
even though I might say "Wash the laundry for me".
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
add a comment |
Some verbs, (known as ditransitive) have both a direct and an indirect object, which can be expressed either way round; but if the direct object comes first, the indirect requires its preposition "to":
I gave the book to him = I gave him the book.
In addition any verb which does not normally take an indirect object can have a benefactive complement introduced by "for", and in many cases this benefactive can come before the direct object in exactly the same way as for ditransitive verbs.
Examples:
I made/baked him a cake = I made/baked a cake for him.
He bought me a book = He bought a book for me.
Keep me a seat! = Keep a seat for me.
I cut her a slice [of cake] = I cut a slice [of cake] for her.
I think there is a semantic restriction that the beneficiary is going to have, or use, or enjoy the result of the action, not just the action happening. So
Wash me a cup = Wash a cup for me (that I can use).
but I don't think I would say
?Wash me the laundry
even though I might say "Wash the laundry for me".
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
add a comment |
Some verbs, (known as ditransitive) have both a direct and an indirect object, which can be expressed either way round; but if the direct object comes first, the indirect requires its preposition "to":
I gave the book to him = I gave him the book.
In addition any verb which does not normally take an indirect object can have a benefactive complement introduced by "for", and in many cases this benefactive can come before the direct object in exactly the same way as for ditransitive verbs.
Examples:
I made/baked him a cake = I made/baked a cake for him.
He bought me a book = He bought a book for me.
Keep me a seat! = Keep a seat for me.
I cut her a slice [of cake] = I cut a slice [of cake] for her.
I think there is a semantic restriction that the beneficiary is going to have, or use, or enjoy the result of the action, not just the action happening. So
Wash me a cup = Wash a cup for me (that I can use).
but I don't think I would say
?Wash me the laundry
even though I might say "Wash the laundry for me".
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
Some verbs, (known as ditransitive) have both a direct and an indirect object, which can be expressed either way round; but if the direct object comes first, the indirect requires its preposition "to":
I gave the book to him = I gave him the book.
In addition any verb which does not normally take an indirect object can have a benefactive complement introduced by "for", and in many cases this benefactive can come before the direct object in exactly the same way as for ditransitive verbs.
Examples:
I made/baked him a cake = I made/baked a cake for him.
He bought me a book = He bought a book for me.
Keep me a seat! = Keep a seat for me.
I cut her a slice [of cake] = I cut a slice [of cake] for her.
I think there is a semantic restriction that the beneficiary is going to have, or use, or enjoy the result of the action, not just the action happening. So
Wash me a cup = Wash a cup for me (that I can use).
but I don't think I would say
?Wash me the laundry
even though I might say "Wash the laundry for me".
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
answered Jan 8 at 0:35
Colin FineColin Fine
29.3k24157
29.3k24157
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language Learners Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f192140%2fwhat-does-i-made-him-a-cake-mean%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
7
Any other fans of The IT Crowd instantly think of a certain German who wishes to cook "with" Moss?
– dwizum
Jan 7 at 19:35
1
For #2, it would be more natural to say "I made him INTO a cake." Though that would not work very well: a roast or a stew, sure, but cake? Further discussion should go to the Cooking site :-)
– jamesqf
Jan 7 at 20:00
3
If "I made him a cake" was spoken by Endora (from the Bewitched TV show), the phrase could literally mean she magically turned him into a cake. But in the real, non-magic, world, people are generally understood to NOT be baked goods or ingredients.
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 22:19
5
@dwizum or of The Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man" (spoiler alert: "It's a Cookbook!!!")
– geneSummons
Jan 7 at 23:42
5
#2 is a dad joke and it's more common than any of us want it to be.
– Mazura
Jan 8 at 1:37