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Taka Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
further from the truth?
We are surrounded by our civilization, hardly recognizing to what extent that is the case. It's everyone's conviction that things have been pretty much as they are now, allowing only perhaps for very minor variations. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are living at this moment somewhere along the life span of a civilization, which will some day decline and die, to be replaced by another in which all that we believed and accomplished will seem strange and and old-fashioned.
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I'm not sure I really understand what the author is trying to say by 'Nothing could be further from the truth' here. Can you help me?
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I'm not sure I really understand what the author is trying to say by 'Nothing could be further from the truth' here. Can you help me?
Top answer
--------- If you say that something could not be further from the truth , you are saying that what has been suggested is not true: I'm certainly not in love with him -- nothing could be further from the truth! ---------
- --------- If you say that something could not be further from the truth , you are saying that what has been suggested is not true: I'm certainly not in love with him -- nothing could be further from the truth!
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16 Answers
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If you say that something could not be further from the truth, you are saying that what has been suggested is not true:
I'm certainly not in love with him -- nothing could be further from the truth!
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If you say that something could not be further from the truth, you are saying that what has been suggested is not true:
I'm certainly not in love with him -- nothing could be further from the truth!
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Marius Hancu---------Hmm...How can it be so? What kind of logic is there behind? I mean, it's NOT further, NOT at a greater distance, from the truth, right? Then, shouldn't it be somewhat close to the truth?
If you say that something could not be further from the truth, you are saying that what has been suggested is not true:
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what has been suggested (in the previous sentences) is not true
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My two cents: "Nothing could be further from the truth" here is a connecting link between the preceding and the following, suggesting a meaning turn. The sentence itself means the preceding is completely wrong.
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Marius Hancuwhat has been suggested (in the previous sentences) is not trueThen, is it some sort of ellipsis of, say, 'Nothing could be further from the truth than that'?
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Step by step
The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else beyond what is said could be further from the truth =
The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else [beyond what is said] could be further from the truth =
The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else could be further from the truth =
[The thing said is so far from
The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else beyond what is said could be further from the truth =
The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else [beyond what is said] could be further from the truth =
The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else could be further from the truth =
[The thing said is so far from
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«Hmm...How can it be so? What kind of logic is there behind? I mean, it's NOT further, NOT at a greater distance, from the truth, right? Then, shouldn't it be somewhat close to the truth?»
Logic is correct here. It's like the definituon of supremum. That is, a statement whereof nothing can be further from the truth, is the furthest statement from the the truth.
And the distance
Logic is correct here. It's like the definituon of supremum. That is, a statement whereof nothing can be further from the truth, is the furthest statement from the the truth.
And the distance
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Nothing could be further from the truth.
This doesn't say that 'it' is not further from the truth. It is saying that nothing else could be even further away from the truth. This is as far away from the truth as possible.
Therefore, it is completely untrue.
Imagine a scale of truthfullness - 1 to 5, with 1 being an absolute lie and 5 being the absolute truth. If
This doesn't say that 'it' is not further from the truth. It is saying that nothing else could be even further away from the truth. This is as far away from the truth as possible.
Therefore, it is completely untrue.
Imagine a scale of truthfullness - 1 to 5, with 1 being an absolute lie and 5 being the absolute truth. If
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It is similar to the more informal construction "I couldn't care less." I care as little about this as possible, so I can't care even less than that. Like Nona's scale - 5 means I care a great deal, 1 means I don't care at all. I'm a 1 - I care as little as possible, so there is nothing about which I could care less. If you're familiar with THAT usage, than this "further from the truth" thing ma
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Continuing what Nona said:
Truth: at zero distance from reality
let's say you're moving at 1, 2, 3, 4 (miles, kms) ... going away from it
you're going into the domain of lies
the further you go.
Truth: at zero distance from reality
let's say you're moving at 1, 2, 3, 4 (miles, kms) ... going away from it
you're going into the domain of lies
the further you go.
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