Is it negative or positive?

Question

During our email, a client informed me of the following:

Please continue to hold sending me sightings until further notice.

I am not quite sure about "hold".

Did she mean " continue to send me sightings" or " continue not to send me sightings"?

Before that email, she ever asked me not to send her sightings unless we got further notice.

Cheers

Snow

Buckmajor · Accepted Answer

"hold" means hold off or pause until further notice: " continue not to send me sightings".

CalifJim · Answer

YellowSnowBefore that email, she never asked me not to send her sightings unless we got further notice.

Strange. It seems as if she thinks she did ask you to do that. You weren't holding anything back from her, but she thinks you were. But, regardless of that, she wants you to continue doing as you have been doing -- namely, not sending -- at least for now. Later, when she notifies you to send, you can send then.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

YellowSnow Before that email, she never asked me not to send her sightings unless we got further notice.

This does seem a bit ambiguous.

Before that email, when I got further notice, she would then ask me not to send her sightings. (Hmm, I guess this would require a comma after "unless.")

Before that email, she would never say, "Don't send me sightings unless you get further notice."

YellowSnow Please continue to hold sending me sightings until further notice.

Anyway, I agree that this means "Please continue not sending me sightings until further notice," and that she clearly thinks that not sending them is the standing order.
The "until further notice" would be the part which is new.
Perhaps the original request not to send them lacked permanence, or seemed temporary; and she felt it necessary to clarify that the request was to continue in force indefinitely.

It doesn't seem unusual that she should make this clarification without having said something similar before.

YellowSnow · Answer

Thanks, all!

I think i should explain the ins and outs.

We used to send this client sightings regularly. Then one day before our national day she notified me not to send at this stage as they were working out their budget. She said she would write to me again concerning this matter after national day holiday. So I got the above-mentioned information after the holiday.

I felt confused because when i looked up the dictionary, I found "hold" somewhat means " keep". So I was not sure if she meant " send her sightings as we used to do" or "not to send as she notified before".

Thank you and I believe that your opinion is right.

(otherwise she might ask why I still didn't send her sightings

)

Snow

YellowSnow · Answer

you know, since some english words have so many meanings, sometimes I really don't know people use them in what kind of meaning, especially when our non-native speakers use them. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' alt='Emotion: big smile'/>

Avangi · Answer

Hang in there, Y/S.

Your explanation makes a lot of sense. "Hold" absolutely does mean "keep."

"Keep doing what you're doing." (Hmmm.) "Hold that thought!"

But "hold" in this context means "hold off" or "hold back." How is one supposed to know?

Maybe they both work: "Keep holding off!"

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Just a few comments and a curious thought...

What is "sightings" referred to in your O.P.? Is it in the same context as "The UFO sightings"?

Would anyone object the use of the word "refrain from sending" in place of "hold"?

Hold on/it! - can also mean stop. This is quite problematic for Chinese learners as its grammar structure is different from that of English and the translation process can play tricks on learners.

Buckmajor · Answer

Ooopps..I was way off <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' alt='Emotion: big smile'/>.  My bad, I misunderstood the question. No wonder why I'm always the student, and not the teacher lol.

CalifJim · Answer

buckmajorOoopps..I was way off

On the contrary, your response showed the correct meaning, in my opinion.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

buckmajor"hold" means hold off or pause until further notice: " continue not to send me sightings".

Hi, buckmajor. I hope I didn't say anything to imply that you were wrong.
What got me involved was the original poster's explaination of what the lady had done in the past. A native speaker would find a different way to say it.

The only comment I'd make on your analysis is that I don't believe "keep pausing" can be substituted for "keep holding off" - but I'm sure you're aware of that.

"Continue to pause" is sort of a grey area, but I think a pause definitely has a beginning, while "holding off" may not. I think "keep pausing" calls for a series of stops rather than a continuous state.

- A.

Edit. Revisiting your post, I must admit that "pause until further notice" does not mean "continue pausing," and you never really claimed that it does. My assumption was unwarranted.

Is it negative or positive?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions