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Moody_m Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary
collocations
Can I say "gain the world" instead of "conquer the world"? Does it sound natural? Is it correct?
Top answer
Much depends on the context. Please show us a full sentence. Clive
- Much depends on the context.
- Please show us a full sentence.
- Clive
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6 Answers
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"gain the world" is more likely to be a metaphor, "conquer" can be literal, but it's hard to be sure without context.
For instance, "gain" is used figuratively in the Bible in the following passage:
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [...]
For instance, "gain" is used figuratively in the Bible in the following passage:
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [...]
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Can I say "English gains the world" e.g.?
No.
Say eg English is conquering / will conquer / has conquered the world.
Clive
No.
Say eg English is conquering / will conquer / has conquered the world.
Clive
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moody_mCan I say "English gains the world" e.g.?'gain the world' has a very limited use, and an inanimate thing such as a language cannot 'gain' anything. Most people probably think of the biblical quotation when they use that expression.
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