Breakdown of Wij sporen hem aan om niet te schieten.
niet
not
wij
we
hem
him
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
aansporen
to urge
schieten
to shoot
Questions & Answers about Wij sporen hem aan om niet te schieten.
How does the "object control" structure work in this sentence?
The verb aansporen (to urge) takes a direct object, which in this case is hem (him). This object acts as the implied subject of the following infinitive clause. So, while "we" are doing the urging, "he" is the one who is supposed to carry out the action in the om ... te clause (not shooting).
Why is the verb split into sporen and aan?
The verb here is aansporen, which is a separable verb meaning to urge, encourage, or spur on. Because it is the conjugated verb in a main clause, it splits: sporen takes the second position, and the prefix aan is pushed to the end of the main clause, landing right before the om ... te phrase.
Why is niet placed after om instead of before it?
When negating the action inside an om ... te clause, the negation (niet or geen) goes inside that clause, typically right before the te + infinitive. Because niet negates the verb schieten, it must sit close to it as om niet te schieten.
Could I drop om and just write Wij sporen hem aan niet te schieten?
Yes, leaving out om is grammatically correct here. However, using om ... te rather than just te is very common and often preferred with verbs of persuading or urging, as it makes the boundary between the main clause and the infinitive clause much clearer.
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