Meaning trap
put through
make someone experience something difficult
to make someone experience something unpleasant or challenging, often over a period of time.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to make someone experience something unpleasant or challenging, often over a period of time.
Another meaning of 'put through' is 'connect by phone'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
She really put her parents through a lot when she was a teenager.
Many students feel that final exams put them through a great deal of stress.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: Sorry for putting you through of this.
Say: Sorry for putting you through this.
'Put someone through' + the hardship — no 'of'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Put through' is the natural verb for making someone endure something hard; 'subject to an ordeal' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
put + someone + through
- you through hell
- us through this
- them through a lot
- her through it
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- put through (connect by phone) — Another meaning of 'put through' is 'connect by phone'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.