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What is wrong with this sentence?

If you cause any trouble to him, I’ll not tolerate that.

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  • 1
    Wrongly placed objects. If you cause him any trouble, I'll not tolerate that.
    – mahmud k pukayoor
    May 8, 2018 at 17:19
  • It's not fluent contemporary American English, for many reasons. It's marked as 'foreign', in the sense that a native speaker wouldn't say it that way. Nothing wrong with that, just noted as different, that's all.
    – John Lawler
    May 8, 2018 at 18:56

2 Answers 2

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I think the problem is with cause. You don't cause something to someone, you cause someone something (like trouble or harm), or cause something for someone. You could either say:

If you cause him any trouble,

Or:

If you cause any trouble for him,

Check out the different uses and more examples in these dictionaries:

Longman

Oxford

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-1

Your sentence has contradictory tenses.

I'll not tolerate any trouble you'll cause to him. (this sounds proper)

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7
  • Why change the conditional? Isn't that type 1 conditional? It doesn't sound wrong to me...it's like saying "If you touch him I'll kill you" that doesn't sound wrong
    – Ithilel
    May 8, 2018 at 17:12
  • If you touch him I'll kill you. is all in the future tense. The tenses are future.
    – Abe
    May 8, 2018 at 17:17
  • I don't see anything wrong either. But I was told it was wrong.
    – learning
    May 8, 2018 at 17:17
  • If you cause any trouble to him is implying future tense
    – Abe
    May 8, 2018 at 17:17
  • I'll not tolerate that is implying past tense. Tenses contradict.
    – Abe
    May 8, 2018 at 17:18

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