Maki
"He wanted his dad to trust him." : "him" means "his dad", "Tom wanted his dad to trust himself.": "himself" means "Tom". Am I correct? Thank you.
Oct 22, 2024 12:55 AM
Answers · 11
4
'Him' refers back to 'he,' which, in this case, is Tom. Tom wants his dad to trust him (to trust Tom). Tom wants his dad to trust himself--here, this is kind of an unusual sentence, but it would be Tom wanting his dad to trust himself-- for Tom's dad to have trust in himself. It's analogous to the following: 'I want you to trust me.' vs 'I want you to trust yourself.'
Oct 22, 2024 1:22 AM
2
Matt gave an excellent answer!
Oct 22, 2024 5:42 AM
Invitee
1
He wanted his dad to trust himself." In this case, "himself" refers to "his dad" and suggests that the dad should have confidence in his own judgment or abilities. The corrected sentence is: "Tom wanted his dad to trust him." Using "himself" would be incorrect in this context, as it refers to Tom in a way that implies self-trust rather than seeking trust from his dad
Oct 22, 2024 3:41 AM
Yes, your understanding is correct. "He wanted his dad to trust him." In this sentence, "him" refers to the subject of the sentence, which is the person wanting the trust. So, "him" refers to the person (not the dad). If Tom is the subject, this would mean Tom wanted his dad to trust Tom. "Tom wanted his dad to trust himself." Here, "himself" refers to Tom (the subject of the sentence). Reflexive pronouns like "himself" refer back to the subject, so in this case, it indicates that Tom wanted his dad to trust Tom, not the dad. So, in both cases, Tom is the one seeking trust, but the use of "him" vs. "himself" changes how it's structured grammatically.
Oct 22, 2024 6:09 AM
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Oct 23, 2024 2:38 AM
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