Direct Objects – Finding the Object of the Verb ‘Pay’

direct-objects

Under the entry dedicated to the verb “pay” within Longman Dictionary of Contemporary, it is stated:

"Do not use pay followed directly by a noun referring to the thing you are buying. Use pay (an amount of money) for something”

Then under that entry there is an example sentence which I think contradicts the above statement:

“You pay tax at the basic rate.”

Here “tax” is the object of “pay” but it is directly following the verb, which contradicts the statement. Am I right? If no, why?

Best Answer

The construction you’re using is idiomatic, although “basic” isn’t a word I’d expect to hear in that context in American English. However, the phrase elides some words that are implied by the statement. When one says “You pay tax at the basic rate,” what’s really meant is something like:

You pay [a/the] tax [on something] at the standard/required rate [to the cashier or taxing authority].

In this case, the payee is the cashier or taxing authority, not the thing being purchased. I think the advice could be clearer, as it’s true that “tax” is neither the payee nor the object you’re buying, but “pay tax” or “pay a/the toll” are certainly phrases an American English speaker like myself would say in the right context.

In other words, you pay tax on/for something, or to someone. In comparison, phrases like “I pay clothes” or “I pay lunch” would sound very odd to a native speaker.

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