Gather and meet up

Question

My textbook says we should say 'My friends and I met up at the bar' instead of 'My friends and I gathered at the bar'. It explains that the latter has 'inappropriate vocabulary choice'. Why is 'gathered' inappropriate here?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

aqua modern 23Why is 'gathered' inappropriate here?

It's inappropriate if the intended meaning is 'met up'.

Here is one possible pair of scenarios that might explain it.

We met up at the bar. ~ We came from different places. Each person came from his own home or place of work to the bar. We met up inside the bar for a common purpose.

We gathered at the bar. ~ A lot of different people were in the streets near the bar. Someone in front of the bar shouted, "Hey, everyone! We have an announcement to make. Come over here so you can all hear it". So we each moved from where we were on the street toward the bar. Finally, all of us were in front of the bar, listening to the announcement. We were outside the bar. We had gathered at the bar.

CJ

Gather and meet up

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions