0
Makiasan Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
I was supposed to (and actually I did that)
I thought "I was supposed to do " meant "I planed to do that, but I couldn't/didn't."
But I found this conversation in my English textbook:
Adam) Where did you go on vacation last year?
Bob) We went up to the mountains.
Adam) That sounds nice. What did you do there?
Bob) Well, we were supposed to go rock climbing.
Adam) Cool! Did you have a good time?
Bob) Yes and no. I sprained my ankle.
If I were Adam, I wouldn't ask "Did you have a good time." I would ask, "But didn't you go?"
My question is this usage of "was supposed to" is common? Do you respond the same way as Adam did?
And one more thing to ask, though this is an administrative matter on this forums, before I started to write this question here, I tried to search "supposed to" and there are hundreds of answers. How can I find good answers among these? I tried the Option, but I couldn't find any good way to search.
Thanks.
But I found this conversation in my English textbook:
Adam) Where did you go on vacation last year?
Bob) We went up to the mountains.
Adam) That sounds nice. What did you do there?
Bob) Well, we were supposed to go rock climbing.
Adam) Cool! Did you have a good time?
Bob) Yes and no. I sprained my ankle.
If I were Adam, I wouldn't ask "Did you have a good time." I would ask, "But didn't you go?"
My question is this usage of "was supposed to" is common? Do you respond the same way as Adam did?
And one more thing to ask, though this is an administrative matter on this forums, before I started to write this question here, I tried to search "supposed to" and there are hundreds of answers. How can I find good answers among these? I tried the Option, but I couldn't find any good way to search.
Thanks.
Top answer
" My question is this usage of "was supposed to" is common? - - No and no. The dialogue seems odd to me.
- " My question is this usage of "was supposed to" is common?
- - - No and no.
- The dialogue seems odd to me.
- 'Be supposed to' does indeed mean 'planned/determined/ordered'.
- The Search function here is, frankly, awful.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
If I were Adam, I wouldn't ask "Did you have a good time." I would ask, "But didn't you go?" My question is this usage of "was supposed to" is common? Do you respond the same way as Adam did?-- No and no. The dialogue seems odd to me. 'Be supposed to' does indeed mean 'planned/determined/ordered'.
The Search function here is, frankly, awful. I can find no way to search either, so
The Search function here is, frankly, awful. I can find no way to search either, so
00
You're right, the phrase "supposed to" IMPLIES "supposed to but didn't".
Normally you would see Bob saying "Well, we were supposed to go rock climbing, BUT ..."
For example, "... BUT it was raining".
This is especially true because (a) Adam asked what they DID there, and (b) Bob started his sentence with "Well, ...".
I would not respond the way Adam did. I would wait for Bob to say
Normally you would see Bob saying "Well, we were supposed to go rock climbing, BUT ..."
For example, "... BUT it was raining".
This is especially true because (a) Adam asked what they DID there, and (b) Bob started his sentence with "Well, ...".
I would not respond the way Adam did. I would wait for Bob to say
00
Related Questions