deplorable v. distressing v. lamentable v. pitiful

Question

Original: My finance was in a deplorable state so that it was hard for me to pay my depts.

Here: I intended to mean by depts the money borrowed from friends or a bank.

Which of the following is correct, idiomatic and in the same sense as the original?

1) My finance was in a distressing state so that it was hard for me to pay my depts.

2) My finance was in a lamentable state so that it was hard for me to pay my depts.

3) My finance was in a pitiful state so that it was hard for me to pay my depts.

Thank you.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

None. 'Finances' there is always plural. These are correct:

My finances were in a deplorable state, so it was hard for me to pay my debts.
My finances were in a distressing state, so it was hard for me to pay my debts.
My finances were in a lamentable state, so it was hard for me to pay my debts.
My finances were in a pitiful state, so it was hard for me to pay my debts.

You could also use sad, pitiable, miserable, dismal, grievous, pathetic, woeful, wretched, doleful, hopeless, and probably many other adjectives there.

Hhtt · Answer

If we use all these verbs ; deplorable, distressing, lamentable, pitiful, sad, pitiable, miserable, dismal, griveous, pathetic, woeful, wretched, doleful, hopeless in the related given sentences, are all sentences in the same sense or almost in the same sense?
If so, it is strange that there are a lot of alternative for the phrase "deplorable state."

Thank you.

Mister Micawber · Answer

hhttre all sentences in the same sense or almost in the same sense?

Yes.

hhttIf so, it is strange that there are a lot of alternative for the phrase "deplorable state."

Yes, the lot of Man is a sorry one.

Hhtt · Answer

Mister Micawber. Yes, the lot of Man is a sorry one

What does the lot of Man mean? I cannot get what you have write. Would please like to explain it?

Thank you.

SoSaysSunny · Answer

hhttIf we use all these verbs ... in the related given sentences, are all sentences in the same sense or almost in the same sense? If so, it is strange that there are a lot of alternative for the phrase "deplorable state."Thank you.

Too Many Word Choices!

I agree, English has too many word choices -- Not just for students learning a second language but also for native speakers. That's what makes English so hard to learn (that and all the crazy spelling).

Differentiating between similar words is one of my hobbies. I want to understand why the author chose that particular word over all the others. Did it provide (or hint at) some additional information? Was it able to bring a specific image to mind? Did the word's etymology (historical root word) add flavor?

To answer to your question (same or almost same sense?)

Well, it depends on WHY you're reading (or writing):

Are you reading only for facts? (to understand the action and literal words used)
Or, are you also reading for comprehension? (to see the word-pictures the author intended)

Word choice, like tone of voice, adds additional information to the basic meaning.

The collection of words that Mister Micawber provided are generally synonymous and interchangeable. However, each has its own nuances (implied information) and allusions (word pictures).

Some Nuances

I'm not going to try to list all of the nuances (I couldn't if I tried) but here are some first impressions:

hopeless -- finances so bad they can never be fixed (or that's how the person feels)

distressing -- finances so bad they cause stress (but a crazy person could have awful finances and not care)

sad -- sad
doleful -- sad and tired
miserable -- very sad
lamentable -- very sad and complaining, perhaps alluding to the Bible's book of Lamentations
woeful -- sad and self-pitying (poor me, the world's against me, it's not my fault)

pitiful and pitiable -- pity (other than self-pity) involves one person's assessment of another person or thing

CAUTION

Please, please, please don't depend on my first impressions! I intentionally did not look these up in a dictionary -- I wanted to give you the ideas that came to my mind -- a fairly educated, fairly well-read, native speaker.

If you're ever killing time in the library, go look up some words in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary). Its sample sentences from literature and history are quite revealing. But even the OED can't list every use.

Dictionaries are great. Explanations from random people on the web are great. But the best way to learn the nuances of words is to read, READ, READ!

deplorable v. distressing v. lamentable v. pitiful

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Too Many Word Choices!

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