Ducks At A Distance

How to explain the difference in syntax for “I keep ducks in my farm” and “I keep wolves off my farm.”

For “I keep ducks in my farm”, I realize that the function would be Subject, Predicator, Preside over object and Adverbial. How about “I keep wolves off my farm?” I’m sure that it does not have the same functions since “off my farm” is not optional, hence not an Adverbial. Is “wolves” here a preside over object? Should that make “my farm” a prepositional object?

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  • michael m says:

    Huge question.

    OMG, such a tough question.

    I like Charles’s answer.

    Am reluctant to respond because of the fantastic knowlege you and also Charles by now possess.

    Let me try though. (I tried to use | to space things out)

    I ||||||||| keep ducks in/on my farm.
    I don’t keep wolves in/on my farm.
    I ||||||||| keep wolves ||off|| my farm.

    I ||||||||| keep ducks.
    I don’t keep wolves.

    I don’t keep ducks off.
    I ||||||||| keep wolves off.

    March 9, 2010 at 9:00 pm
  • Charles B says:

    I keep ducks on my farm. Says you have ducks ‘on’ your farm, inside the land you farm.
    I keep wolves off my farm. Says that ‘wolves’ are not allowed to roam your farm, you take steps to keep them out of your farming area.

    March 9, 2010 at 9:01 pm

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