Congratulate

Question

If you look up dictionary, it says that to congralutate means to communicate pleasure, approval, or praise to somebody. Is it possible sometimes to interpret the word as to consider someone clever or fortunate?

I had to congratulate my father for being able to tell them apart when he introduced them to me one at a time.
Even if "I " did not mention the praise, could he use the verb "congratulate"?

Usenet · Accepted Answer

masahiko (Email Removed) wrote on 13 Nov 2003:
[nq:1]If you look up dictionary, it says that to congralutate means to communicate pleasure, approval, or praise to somebody. Is ... me one at a time. Even if "I " did not mention the praise, could he use the verb "congratulate"?[/nq]
Just saying "Congratulations on being able to tell them apart" is praise. When someone gets married, has a baby, or gets promoted, "Congratulations!" is an expression of your pleasure and your happiness for the person you congratulate. It is unnecessary to say that you are pleased and happy for that person, but some folks do.

You can congratulate someone for making an excellent choice of wine, car, spouse, or whatever to show your approval if you are in a position to pass judgment on such things. You don't have to say "I approve", but some folks will.

Usenet · Answer

I am sorry that my question was not clear enough.
Let me try again.
[nq:2]I had to congratulate my father for being able to tell them apart when he introduced them to me one at a time.[/nq]
Did "I " feel that he had to express or show his feeling to his father? Or did he just
find his father great?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]If you look up dictionary, it says that to congralutate means to communicate pleasure, approval, or praise to somebody. Is ... me one at a time. Even if "I " did not mention the praise, could he use the verb "congratulate"?[/nq]
I would expect that it meant that he actually stated his congratulations out loud. To congratulate someone almost always requires telling the person, not merely thinking nice thoughts, or telling a third party.

There is a slight chance that he only did it mentally, but then I'd expect it was because the father was faraway or dead or something.

Best Donna Richoux

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]If you look up dictionary, it says that to congralutate means to communicate pleasure, approval, or praise to somebody. Is it possible sometimes to interpret the word as to consider someone clever orfortunate?[/nq]
Yes, but not necessarily so. Congratulation is
simply the communication of a compliment.
This may be because someone is clever (e.g.
displays unusual skill); or it may be simply
because he reaches another birthday.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)

Usenet · Answer

masahiko (Email Removed) wrote on 13 Nov 2003:
[nq:2]Just saying "Congratulations on being able to tell them apart" ... don't have to say "I approve", but some folks will.[/nq]
[nq:1]I am sorry that my question was not clear enough. Let me try again. Did "I " feel that he had to express or show his feeling to his father? Or did he just find his father great?[/nq]
I assume that "I"'s father introduced identical twins and could tell which one was which. Sometimes that's very difficult, even for people who know the twins fairly well. I would guess that "I"'s father did not know them all that well.
Therefore, "I" wanted to express his admiration for his father's ability to distinguish the two. It's like congratulating someone for winning a contest. You show your pleasure and happiness for the demonstration of skill and express your approval at the same time. Even if "I" hated his father and didn't find him "great" in general, he felt that this ability was outstanding and had to express his approval.

Does that answer your question more clearly?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I had to congratulate my father for being able to ... not mention the praise, could he use the verb "congratulate"?[/nq]
[nq:1]I would expect that it meant that he actually stated his congratulations out loud. To congratulate someone almost always requires telling the person, not merely thinking nice thoughts, or telling a third party.[/nq]
Otoh, "I had to" does not imply subsequent action.

Michael Hamm Since mid-September of 2003, AM, Math, Wash. U. St. Louis I've been erasing too much UBE. (Email Removed) Of a reply, then, if you have been cheated, http://math.wustl.edu/~msh210/ Likely your mail's by mistake been deleted.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I would expect that it meant that he actually stated ... not merely thinking nice thoughts, or telling a third party.[/nq]
[nq:1]Otoh, "I had to" does not imply subsequent action.[/nq]
Aha, so you're saying "I had to" could be "I was supposed to but I didn't"? Maybe that's possible, but to me "I had to" equals "I had no choice but to" and is saying that the thing did in fact happen.

Would you ever say "I had to do X" when you, in fact, did not do X? Not even begin the attempt? Let me invent some:
? I had to visit my grandmother but I didn't.
? I had to pay a $300 fine but I got out of it.
? I had to get out of the way but instead I got angry and stayed put.

I can imagine hearing people say these things, maybe, but only because everyday speech is full of careless errors.
Me, I'd put "I was supposed to" in that opening spot.

And I don't see that it is a likely tie to the original question. The guy's urge to congratulate his father appears to arise from his own observation, not because someone else insists that he do it.

Best Donna Richoux

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]If you look up dictionary, it says that to congralutate ... not mention the praise, could he use the verb "congratulate"?[/nq]
[nq:1]I would expect that it meant that he actually stated his congratulations out loud. To congratulate someone almost always requires telling the person, not merely thinking nice thoughts, or telling a third party.[/nq]
To my mind, if he had actually congratulated his father, he would have said so: "I congratulated my father for.."
[nq:1]There is a slight chance that he only did it mentally, but then I'd expect it was because the father was faraway or dead or something.[/nq]
"Have to congratulate" strikes me as being something of an idiom. There's no compulsion to congratulate someone, but the circumstances are such that congratulations are appropriate. Saying "I had to congratulate him" means that he had done something praiseworthy, but not that any congratulations were actually given.
I see the phrase most often as "I have to congratulate you", which means the same thing as "I congratulate you" but sounds less formal, and perhaps a bit intensified. Similarly, rather than say "It's hot outside", one might say "I have to say, it's hot outside." One doesn't have to say any such thing, but "I have to say" intensifies the statement.
Why do I find "congratulate" so hard to type? It keeps wanting to come out "congratualte".

Ray Heindl
(remove the Xs to reply)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Otoh, "I had to" does not imply subsequent action.[/nq]
and disagreed.
See Mr. Heindl's post, which says, essentially, what I meant.

Michael Hamm Since mid-September of 2003, AM, Math, Wash. U. St. Louis I've been erasing too much UBE. (Email Removed) Of a reply, then, if you have been cheated, http://math.wustl.edu/~msh210/ Likely your mail's by mistake been deleted.

Congratulate

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions