0
Sisse Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Expression

0Hi, 02br
02br
00My students and I disagree on a sentence - should it be: "He denied having seen me before, the idiot!" or "He denied having seen me before, that Idiot!" or can you say both?02br
02br
00Hope somebody can help me0-
  

Top answer

0 Based on the tone and context, "that" sounds better to my ears and looks better to my eyes. 02br 02br 00John only drinks coffee from the pot other made. 0-

  • 0 Based on the tone and context, "that" sounds better to my ears and looks better to my eyes.
  • 02br 02br 00John only drinks coffee from the pot other made.
  • 0-
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

6 Answers
0
0 Based on the tone and context, "that" sounds better to my ears and looks better to my eyes. 02br
02br
00John only drinks coffee from the pot other made. I never see him make a fresh pot, 01sup00that 02sup00jerk!0-
0
0Damnit! my students will gloat! But thank you for answering. Best wishes, Sisse0-
0
0Hi,02br
02br
00To me, the version with 'the' sounds much, much more idiomatic.05002br
02br
00(One possible reason might be that it's much easier and quicker to say 'the idiot' than 'that idiot'.) 02br
02br
00Best wishes, Clive010id1
0
0I'd say that both are possible. I think I hear 01i01b00the02b00 idiot02i00 in that context more often, but I could be wrong.02br
02br
00CJ 0-
0
0 Both seem OK to me0-
0
0When spoken, "the idiot" goes smoothly, but when reading it from the page, I stumble over the meaning; while "that idiot" is immediately clear. - A.0-

Related Questions