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Contraposition Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary
if
Dear native teachers
What does 'not if he could help it' and 'only' mean here in this context?
Gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursleys’ stupid rules. He wasn’t following Dudley’s diet, and he wasn’t going to let Uncle Vernon stop him from going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if he could help it. Harry took a deep, steadying breath
and then said, “Okay, I can’t see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I’ve got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know — my godfather.” He had done it. He had said the magic words.
What does 'not if he could help it' and 'only' mean here in this context?
Gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursleys’ stupid rules. He wasn’t following Dudley’s diet, and he wasn’t going to let Uncle Vernon stop him from going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if he could help it. Harry took a deep, steadying breath
and then said, “Okay, I can’t see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I’ve got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know — my godfather.” He had done it. He had said the magic words.
Top answer
We have two colourful expressions in common use, “not if I can help it” and “over my dead body” both of which express resolve . ” “Only” in this sense, means “Because”.
- We have two colourful expressions in common use, “not if I can help it” and “over my dead body” both of which express resolve .
- ” “Only” in this sense, means “Because”.
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1 Answers
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We have two colourful expressions in common use, “not if I can help it” and “over my dead body” both of which express resolve. The first indicates that “I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen” and the second implies that “I would rather die than let anything stop me.”
“Only” in this sense, means “Because”.
“Only” in this sense, means “Because”.
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