Bestow Is a Transitive Verb

Bestow Is a Transitive Verb Bestow Is a Transitive Verb Bestow Is a Transitive Verb By Maeve Maddox The following use of the verb bestow in an article about Harper Lee in The Washington Post caught my attention: But for Christmas 1956, a wealthy couple who doted on the struggling young writer bestowed her with enough money to take a year off and write. The verb bestow has been in the language since Chaucer’s day. It derives from an Old English verb meaning â€Å"to place† or â€Å"to put.† The meaning that survives in modern speech is â€Å"to confer as a gift or as an honor.† The thing being conferred will be the direct object of bestow. Here is the Harper Lee quotation rewritten: But for Christmas 1956, a wealthy couple who doted on the struggling young writer bestowed enough money on her to take a year off and write. Here are two more examples that demonstrate the correct use of bestow: In 1938, Harvard  bestowed an honorary degree  on Walt Disney.   The object of bestowed is â€Å"an honorary degree.† The prior year, the Belgian  government bestowed a  set of six medals on the pair for their work with undernourished children. The object of bestowed is â€Å"a set of six medals.† One source of error is in the use of bestow is to treat it as if it were an exact synonym for give: The village has also  bestowed her a  new clinic The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce  bestowed her a  star on the Walk of Fame. Each of these sentences uses her as if it were the indirect object of bestow, but bestow does not take an indirect object. Note: An indirect object stands between a transitive verb and its direct object. Either the preposition to or for is â€Å"understood† when an indirect object follows a transitive verb: She sent me a letter. She sent [to] me a letter. He built the child a tree house. He built [for] the child a tree house. The preposition that goes with bestow is on. The previous sentences may be rewritten in one of two ways: The village has given her a new clinic. or The village has bestowed a new clinic on her. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce gave her a star on the Walk of Fame. or The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce bestowed a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on her. Another error with bestow may result from confusing it with endow: Incorrect: Johnny Carson  bestowed him with  the nickname â€Å"Excitement.† Correct : Johnny Carson endowed him with the nickname â€Å"Excitement.† Incorrect: And this genetic trait  bestowed him with  a gorgeous, spicy-colored ginger coat and big, bright sapphire eyes. Correct : And this genetic trait  endowed him with  a gorgeous, spicy-colored ginger coat and big, bright sapphire eyes. I can’t think of any explanation for this example I found on LinkedIn: Her experience has  bestowed her a  notable leader as a seasoned Real Estate Professional. The intended meaning seems to be â€Å"Her experience has  transformed her into a notable leader as a seasoned Real Estate Professional.†Ã‚   Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a SentenceThe Four Sounds of the Spelling OUGlimpse and Glance: Same or Different?