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Pructus Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Adverbials in negative sentence

Hello....
Two questions I'd like to be advised on....

1. This cannot be literally true.

This sentence does not mean, “This is false literaly”.
It means that this should not be taken literally.

Then, if we want to say that this is false literally, i.e. This is literally false, how can we say?

Maybe, “Literally, this cannot be true.”?

2. I cannot be overly optimistic.

Can this sentence have two meanings?

(A) I can be very optimistic.

(B) It’s not possible that I can be overly optimistic.

By the way, “I cannot be too optismitic” has only one meaning, which is “I can be very optismistic” or “There is no reason that I cannot be very optimistic”?
  

Top answer

pructus 1. This cannot be literally true. This is my take on your not- so -idiomatic sentences.

— Anonymous

  • pructus 1.
  • This cannot be literally true.
  • This is my take on your not- so -idiomatic sentences.
  • The adverb, " literally" feels odd in this sentence for some reason.
  • But I have to add, they are grammatical.
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2 Answers
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pructus1. This cannot be literally true.
This is my take on your not- so -idiomatic sentences. The adverb, " literally" feels odd in this sentence for some reason. But I have to add, they are grammatical.
This one has the meaning equivalent to a house cleaning person who took $50 from the kitchen counter which he was cleaning. When house owner found the m
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Thanks a lot, Anonymous!!
I see your point, and it was very helpful...
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