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Kartik Raj Kanna Posted 14 years ago
Thee was a pause. Nicola was glaring at his young brother in vexation. "We could not think of troubling you, sir".
Grammar
Is the sentence to be taken literally?
Context :
I answered, "I'll drive you there myself."Thee was a pause. Nicola was glaring at his young brother in vexation. "We could not think of troubling you, sir".
Question:
When Nicola told that they could not think of troubling the author, do they mean it literally or does Nicola just not want the author to drive them there?Top answer
It is a polite response, not to be taken literally. Literally, it means my brain is (physically) unable to think of this possibility.
- It is a polite response, not to be taken literally.
- Literally, it means my brain is (physically) unable to think of this possibility.
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5 Answers
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It is a polite response, not to be taken literally. Literally, it means my brain is (physically) unable to think of this possibility.
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The sentence, "We could not think of troubling you, sir.", is an angry and abrupt answer and would indicate considerable vexation on the speaker's part. For some reason (there are hints here of trouble between Nicola and his brother), Nicola does not want the author to drive them to somewhere. He may indeed need the ride, hence the offer from the author, but he essentially refuses the offer by
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I would just observe that you cannot tell whether the sentence is rude or polite. It could be either. You would need to hear the tone or have it suggested by the text.
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Yes, I thought maybe it was an angry reply, in a polite tone, if ever anyone uses it.
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