Wordwizard

a. When I first talked to him, I thought he was a nice guy. Can't this sentence have two meanings? 1. When I was talking to him, at first I thought he was a nice guy. (Presumably, after some time passed, my opinion changed during that very same conversation.) 2. The first time I talked to him, I th...

a. First learning of their mistake, I smiled. I think this means a1. When I learned of their mistake for the first time, I smiled. b. Learning of their mistake, I first smiled. I think this means b1. I first smiled when I learned of their mistake. Is that correct? Could (a) mean c. I smiled at firs...

Can one say a. We can stay here and fight a hopeless battle, run away and die of hunger or commit suicide. In any event, we will die. It is just a matter of sooner or later. b. We can stay here and fight a hopeless battle, run away and die of hunger or commit suicide. In any case, we will die. It is...

Thank you all so much!!

No matter how much I thank you, it won't be enough!

Thank you so much. How about d. Anywhere I go isn't safe. e. Anyone I know doesn't like me. f. Anyone I know doesn't know him. g. Anyone won't like me. h. Anyone won't say this club is bad, ? It seems to me that "anyone" and "anything"and "anywhere" have to be qualified. I'd say the last two don't w...

Can one say

a. Anything you see here is not real.
b. Anyone who likes him will not like me.
c. Anybody who goes to this club will not say it is bad.

?

Many thanks.

a. He really is dangerous. b. He is really dangerous. Which means 1. He is very dangerous. and which means 2. The truth is that he is dangerous. and which could be used in this context 3. You might think he is X but he in reality he is not X, he is dangerous. (You might think he is a nice guy, but ...

Can one say
a. Walk up this street until the second intersection and then turn left.

b. I went until the third door and stopped.

c. He traveled until Boston, but couldn't go further.
?

Many thanks.

Can one say
a. He crossed the street halfway between two intersections.
b. He crossed the street midway between two intersections.
c. He crossed the street right between two intersections.
?

Do they all mean the same?
Is (c) synonymous with the other two?

Many thanks.

Can one say
a. I'm sure he will willingly share his interesting ideas if he has any.
b. I'm sure he will willingly share his interesting ideas if he has some.
c. I'm sure he will willingly share his interesting ideas if he has them.
?


Many thanks.

Happy New Year to everybody!

Can one use the following sentences with the assumptions that have been provided? a. Doctor Jones is trying to find new ways to live with mental illness. The assumption is that he doesn't have a mental illness. He is trying to find new ways for people with mental illness to live with their illness. ...

Can one say a. I asked for him to be appointed vice-president. b. I asked the committee for him to be appointed vice-president. c. I asked that he should be appointed vice-president. d. I asked the committee that he should be appointed vice-president. if the intended meaning is: I asked the committe...

Could one say a. Be happy! and b. Be lucky! instead of, respectively, 1. May you be happy. and 2. May you be lucky. ? (a) and (b) do not make much sense as imperative statements, One cannot decide to be lucky, And it is difficult to decide to be happy, although some might argue that is possible. It ...

a. A student was not in the class.
b. A single student was not in the class.

Can't these mean two things
1. There was a specific student missing from the class. All the others who were supposed to be there, were there.
2. There weren't any students in the class.

Many thanks.

Can one say a. He isn't foolish to believe what they say. b. He isn't an idiot to believe what they say. c. He isn't smart to have made this discovery. d. He isn't a genius to have made this discovery. e. He isn't smart to write such songs. f. He isn't a genius to write such song. ? The idea is basi...