0
Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Guy/man

Hi,

Can I use 'guy' instead of man here without changing the meaning?

"He is a bad man."

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Anonymous Can I use 'guy' instead of man here without changing the meaning? " It depends on the style and the context in which it is used. " He's a nice man.

— Avangi

  • Anonymous Can I use 'guy' instead of man here without changing the meaning?
  • " It depends on the style and the context in which it is used.
  • " He's a nice man.
  • He's a nice guy.
  • (could be the same if in the same context) "He's a nice/bad man" sounds like something you'd say to a young child.
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.

11 Answers
0
AnonymousCan I use 'guy' instead of man here without changing the meaning?
"He is a bad man."
It depends on the style and the context in which it is used.

We say things like, "Sometimes you can't tell the good guys from the bad guys."

He's a nice man. He's a nice guy. (could be the same if in the same context)

"He's a n
0
0
Hi Avangi,
Avangi"He's a nice/bad man" sounds like something you'd say to a young child.
Do you mean we wouldn't say "He's a nice/bad man" to adults?

In what context you would say 'He's a nice/bad guy'?

Thanks.
0
0
AnonymousDo you mean we wouldn't say "He's a nice/bad man" to adults?
I surely wouldn't. A sweet little old lady might.
AnonymousIn what context you would say 'He's a nice/bad guy'?
If the cops were questioning me about someone I knew.
In talking about a third party, not in an "in-depth" way.

In a case where I
0
0
Hi Avangi,
AvangiHe's a nice man. He's a nice guy. (could be the same if in the same context)
Could you give an example in the case above?

Do we say "He's a bad/good/nice man" only to young child?

Can we use the sentence in other situation?

Thank you very much.
0
0
Hi,

Could anyone please help me with my question above?

Thank you very much.
0
0
Hi,

Do we say "He's a bad/good/nice man" only to young child?

Can we use the sentence in other situation?

To say that someone is good or bad is a very simple, stark, personal kind of judgement.

To say that someone is nice is rather weak and vague and, again, simple.

0
0
Hi Clive,
Thanks for your answer.

Can I use 'men' instead of 'guys' in "Sometimes you can't tell the good guys from the bad guys"?

Is it ok and common to say 'He's a bad man' instead of "He's a bad guy" to adults in informal situations?
0
0
AnonymousCan I use 'men' instead of 'guys' in "Sometimes you can't tell the good guys from the bad guys"?
I would say "No." This is a fixed expression. A native speaker would consider the substitution of "men" to be strange.
0
0
Thank you very much, Avangi.

Could anyone please reply to my question below?
AnonymousIs it ok and common to say 'He's a bad man' instead of "He's a bad guy" to adults in informal situations?
0
0
Hi,

For what kind of reason, in what kind of context, would you want to say to someone 'He's a bad man'?

It seems to me that in most contexts, you would talk more specifically about what the reason is.

Clive
0

Related Questions