Posted by admin | Posted in Build a Shed | Posted on 13-09-2011
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Have I used the word “will” correctly in these sentences? Hope native English speakers can help?
sentence1: I tried with all my mind to will him to say no.
Is the phrase “will someone to do something”( in which, will is used as a verb) commonly used and readily understood both in speech and writing?
sentence2: She fears to do anything against her parents’ wills.
I don’t know if someone’s will is necessarily someone’s wishes after their death? Can I use it in this sentence if her parents are both alive?
Hope native speakers can shed some light on it for me. Thank you very much for your kindness and unstruction.
Both sentences are correct, although in the second one I’d prefer “against her parents’ wishes.” We use the phrase “against someone’s will” in reference to living people, but it generally means against the will of the person doing or experiencing whatever it is. You could say, “His parents enrolled him in music lessons against his will,” or “He went to class against his will.”
TOEFL iBT Vocabulary Part 2: Idioms and Phrasal Verbs