Why is there no direct object here?

Pos   Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:31 am GMT
Why is there no direct object here?

"These agents are trained to kill."
M56   Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:32 am GMT
It's a objectless transitive sentence.
Tiffany   Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:55 pm GMT
As I see it, they kill indiscriminately. There's no need to specify who or what they kill. But of course I'm no teacher and could not tell you the finer points of why.
Mxsmanic   Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:22 am GMT
Killing is the object of the training, if you require an object.

Some English verbs take an infinitive as object; others taking a gerund. Some are phrasal verbs that require a preposition as well. Some can do several of these.

"These agents are trained to kill" and "these agents are trained in killing" are practically synonymous, as are "I learned to ski" and "I learned skiing." A slight difference is that the infinitive implies that the subjects learn or are trained to do something personally, whereas the gerund implies that they simply receive an education in these topics (and may or may not practice them personally).
Damian in Edinburgh   Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:14 am GMT
It's the act of killing. It's the killing for which the agents are trained. It's the killing for which the agents are trained. The agents are trained for the killing. Killing is what the agents are trained for. (NB not a good idea to end with a preoposition but most people do in casual speech). Anyway, it's also a good idea to avoid meeting those lethal agents...they're not good to know from whichever side of the fence you stand.
M56   Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:20 am GMT
Tiffany.
<As I see it, they kill indiscriminately.>
Where does it say that the agents kill indiscriminately?

<There's no need to specify who or what they kill. >

You are correct. When the direct object of the verb is "obvious", i.e. when there are only one or two options, there is no need to specify. That's what we call an objectless transitive.
JJM   Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:05 pm GMT
"NB not a good idea to end with a preoposition"

Why?
Candy   Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:12 pm GMT
<<"NB not a good idea to end with a preoposition"

Why? >>

"This is the sort of thing up with which I will not put". :-)

Seriously, I think it's perfectly good English to end a sentence with a preposition, otherwise you end up with peculiar structures such as Churchill's jokey example above.
Travis   Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:09 pm GMT
I myself thoroughly agree that the notion of not putting prepositions at the ends of clauses is utterly silly, as such is practically the *default* pattern for preposition placement in cases of the movement of noun phrases referred to by prepositions in English today. To not do so tends towards being stilted in even just writing and is *very* formal in actual speech. Consequently, I would strongly favor placing prepositions with moved noun phrases at the ends of clauses unless one is trying to be deliberately markedly formal or poetic.
Edinburgh Damian in   Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:24 pm GMT
I'm all confused...I don't know where I'm coming from or where I'm going to. This situation I really am p****d up with and I really don't know why this thread I put my post into. Does this to you right sound? I tell you, puzzled and disoriented am I this with, so I think to my lips a can of strong brew shall I up put and then down with.

Let's be negative for a wee while have a thread in which the English Language mutilated is.

...on thoughts second.....learners it may confusion cause to....best this idea silly scrapped is withforth.
Tiffany   Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:27 am GMT
<<Where does it say that the agents kill indiscriminately? >>

Ok, maybe that was too strong of a word. I meant, they are not trained to kill specific types of things/people. Not really that they just kill anybody...
american nic   Sat Jan 21, 2006 7:19 pm GMT
That they are trained to kill anything, not that they would.
Donny   Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:53 pm GMT
<I meant, they are not trained to kill specific types of things/people>

How do you know which type of agents they are? They could be agents working for a pest-control company.