Learn English – say “acquire someone something”

direct-objectsindirect-objectsverbs

It’s common to say “someone acquires something”, but is it OK to say “acquires someone something”?

For example, it is possible to say

His character acquires him a good name.
                    (where good name here means fame)

to mean that he acquires a good name because of his (good) character.

Best Answer

I don't find OP's proposed usage particularly "valid" - it just looks like a bad translation to me.

A little stuffy and dated, but I'd go for "His character affords him a good name".

afford - to supply or furnish from its own resources, to yield naturally. (OED, sense:7)

OP mentions sb acquire sth, by which I take it he means sentences such as "John acquired a gun".

acquire - to get by one's own efforts. (thefreedictionary, sense:2)

In this context, it's worth noting that we can (just about) say "The gun afforded John confidence", but not *"The gun acquired John confidence" - only "John acquired confidence through the gun".

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