Can I say I stood her (up) ?

Question

Hi, everyoneI have heard I can say "He stood the ladder against the wall." Likewise to express a similar thing, at least to me, I quess I could say "I stood her" . However, I know "I can't stand her" means "I can't put up with her", so I wonder if I can say "I stood her." it means I put up with her in the past or I made her stand somewhere. Many thanks in advance.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

You can express both meanings. The context will usually make it clear.

eg The detective took out his gun. Then he stood her against the wall with her hands in the air.

eg She nagged him every day. He stood her for years. Then one day he killed her.

Clive

Youngbuts · Answer

Thank you for your excellent example sentences. I can feel like I were there. I think I get the emotion of the verb.

I have gotten one more question related to this. If you say:

The detective took out his gun. Then he made her stand against the wall with her hands in the air.

or

The detective took out his gun. Then he got her to stand against the wall with her hands in the air.

what do you think their differece is?

Now I can accept the verb "stand" works differently to its objects according to their contexts. But English has the other forms to make relation between verbs and objects like the above, which could be patterned as "make/get/let + bare infinitive."

I can feel from your example sentences some direct and physical influence from the detective to the "her". Does the nuance keep on in the make-verbs pattern?

Many and many thanks in advance.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

I have gotten one more question related to this. If you say:

The detective took out his gun. Then he made her stand against the wall with her hands in the air.
'Made her' sounds like he forced her to do it.

or

The detective took out his gun. Then he got her to stand against the wall with her hands in the air.

'Go her to' sounds like he persuaded her to do it, or asked her to do it.

what do you think their difference is?

Now I can accept the verb "stand" works differently to its objects according to their contexts. But English has the other forms to make relation between verbs and objects like the above, which could be patterned as "make/get/let + bare infinitive."

I can feel from your example sentences some direct and physical influence from the detective to the "her". Does the nuance keep on in the make-verbs pattern?

Clive

Can I say I stood her (up) ?

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