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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Dear British Speakers: Pls. help

Hello British Speakers,

The thread in the link could be days old. That's probably why it wasn't answered.

Please advise on this:

Thank you in advance.
  

Top answer

I think that you did get replies. 2 people replied. I would say something different but then there are many ways of saying something.

— Dave Phillips

  • I think that you did get replies.
  • 2 people replied.
  • I would say something different but then there are many ways of saying something.
  • It depends on the person, the listener and the situation as in most languages.
  • I didn't reply as you seemed to dismiss Bill's ideas, beacuase they didn't match what you wanted to hear.
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9 Answers
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I think that you did get replies. 2 people replied. I would say something different but then there are many ways of saying something. It depends on the person, the listener and the situation as in most languages. I didn't reply as you seemed to dismiss Bill's ideas, beacuase they didn't match what you wanted to hear. Why sould we answer you only to ignored? Do you what answers or only eant
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Hi, I didn't see your request for my input in the original thread. I agree with everything that Bill said there.
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Thank you, Dave and Mr Wordy, for your helpful responses.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was dismissing Bill's ideas. I completely agree with him as a native speaker. I did appreciate the two replies, but what I was referring to which was not answered was my additional questions in the original thread. I was asking someone else's thoughts because at that moment, BillJ was not av
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Hi,



I agree with what's been said already.



British people are likely to cringe if you say things like

I'm great, I'm brilliant, I'm excellent, I'm fantastic.



Clive
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Thank you, Clive, for your input. I would say then that being exuberant with this responses should be avoided.

I asked because I read saying 'I'm great' makes you stand out over those just saying 'I'm fine' in job interviews. Moreover, it says 'I'm fine' makes you sound like a student in elementary school. However, in real life, these (great, brilliant, etc.) are not advisable to say i
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AnonymousIn terms of enthusiasm, am I correct in my understanding as follows?

I'm fine. (BrE) = I'm well. (BrE) = I'm good. (AmE)
I'm very well. (BrE) = I'm great. (AmE)
To me, "I'm fine" and "I'm very well" are hard to differentiate in terms of enthusiasm. However, "I'm (very) well" sounds rather more focused on health than "I'm fine". I would us
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Thank you, Clive, for your input. I see those responses are not advisable.

Thank you, too, Mr Wordy, for your answers.

1. What about 'I'm alright' as an answer to 'How are you?'? Is this also OK?

2. To my ears, 'I'm alright' sounds casual, whereas 'I'm fine' is formal. Would you agree? Or is there another difference between them?
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The meaning of "I'm all right" varies significantly, depending on the intonation, from "I'm feeling averagely OK but not great" to "I'm feeling good". I suppose it may seem more casual than "I'm fine", but mostly I would say it feels more offhand and unenthusiastic (again, depending on intonation).
AnonymousFor an interview, do you mean it's OK to say 'I'm great, thanks'?
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Thank you very much indeed, Mr Wordy. Points taken. You've explained everything I wanted to learn.

I really appreciate . Cheers.
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