Is it correct to use the verb to demand with an object like this:
He is demanding my father to pay him $600. (Seinfeld TV show)
I have not seen this kind of usage in the dictionaries. I have found only “an outraged public demanded retribution.” But the object here is what they demanded, not the person they demanded it from.
Answer
You typically demand some action. “I demand you leave this house at once”, “They demanded that the governor resign”, etc.
You can demand an object, like “The customer demanded a refund” or “Hitler demanded the Sudentenland”. In such a case the person is demanding that the thing named be given to him, so in a sense you’re still demanding an action.
The wording in the example is odd. As kiamlaluno says, a more common wording would be, “He is demanding my father pay him $600” or “He is demanding that my father pay him $600.” In either case, he is demanding an action. Saying, “my father to pay him” is a little odd because we don’t normally put an infinitive in there.
But in any case, it’s still quite common to demand an action.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Graduate , Answer Author : Jay
