Suffer or suffer from

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi dear friends,

Do you agree with the example Longman provided for appaling?

She suffered appalling injuries.
ldoceonline.com/dictionary/appalling

I feel it needs a from after suffering, that is
She suffered from an appalling injuries.

Which one do you recommend?

Thanks,
Amir

2

To me, it looks like this:

The verb ‘suffer’ is both transitive and intransitive in nature.

We use ‘suffer’ when we experience some sort of inconvenience or difficulty as in ‘He suffered a lot of pain when the wound turned septic’.

We use ‘suffer from’ when we experience discomfort associated with illnesses as in ‘He is suffering from a cold’.

So, ‘She suffered appalling injuries.’ should be acceptable.

3

Dear Anglopihile,

Just like always. Your answer was complete and exact. The verb suffer is both transitive and intransitive.
I even learn from your examples. I did not know the world septic.

Thank you man,
Amir

4

I agree that Anglophile’s answer is excellent. In this case, “She suffered appalling injuries.” means she was injured, while something like “Even a year later, she still suffered from her appalling injuries.” means the injuries were causing her discomfort or pain.

5

Hi Amir,

Just another use of ‘suffer’ to add to your collection. It can also mean ‘become worse’ ‘deteriorate’ as in - As a result of the new tax laws the profits in that company have suffered. Their friendship suffered because they lived so far away from each other.

Alan

6

Yes, I agree the verb is transitive, too.

7

Wowwww
Thank you so much for your cooperation.
Seems to me a million year to become master in English ;(((