Sunday, April 13, 2014

grammar - Is "you" a direct object in "What can I do you for?"?



I've been told that it is okay to say "What can I do you for?" instead of "What can I do for you?" and in fact I myself have heard people say that many times.



So, if it's correct, would "you" be a direct object in that case or still indirect like in "What can I do for you?"



By the way, if it's not a big trouble for you, please, tell me if my punctuation in the end of the title is correct.


Answer



In my experience "What can I do you for" is a joke that became a catch-phrase and entered some people's everyday vocabulary. It stands for "what can I do for you".




The literal meaning is about "doing (someone) for (something)", which in British usage means prosecuting them at law. "He got done for dangerous driving". In this literal phrase, yes "you" would be the direct object.



"What can I do for you" is of course a common phrase offering a service, and "you" is at best an indirect object, probably only an adjunct.



Note: the previous discussion, that Peter of the Corn linked to, refers to a number of different colloquial meanings of "do someone"; but it seems to me that most of them are not relevant, because they are "do someone", not "do someone for something".


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