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Hans51 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Meaning of 'cheap'
I have learned that the word cheap has a meaning of not expensive and a meaning of not expensive and not of good quality and then how can I distinguish between them?
For example,
"cheap hotel"
1) inexpensive hotel
2) hotel low in price and quality
"pretty cheap shoes"
1) inexpensive shoes.
2) shoes low in price and quality
I think that both are possible and we should distinguish in context and I should be careful when I use the word cheap because there is a meaning of of poor quality or "pretty" make only #2 possible in meaning? What do you native English speakers think and how do you use the word?
Thank you so much as usual in advance!
For example,
"cheap hotel"
1) inexpensive hotel
2) hotel low in price and quality
"pretty cheap shoes"
1) inexpensive shoes.
2) shoes low in price and quality
I think that both are possible and we should distinguish in context and I should be careful when I use the word cheap because there is a meaning of of poor quality or "pretty" make only #2 possible in meaning? What do you native English speakers think and how do you use the word?
Thank you so much as usual in advance!
Top answer
Right, the only way to tell whether the "poor quality" connotation is intended is through the wider context.
- Right, the only way to tell whether the "poor quality" connotation is intended is through the wider context.
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4 Answers
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Right, the only way to tell whether the "poor quality" connotation is intended is through the wider context.
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We stayed in a cheap hotel; it was simply furnished, pleasant and clean and the staff were friendly.
We stayed in a cheap hotel; it was noisy and filthy and we were bitten by bedbugs.
We stayed in a cheap hotel; it was noisy and filthy and we were bitten by bedbugs.
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Thank you both so much and someone says that the adverb "pretty" makes the word cheap mean #2, "low in price and quality". Do you agree with that? I think that there is nothing for the adverb to do to mean either #1 or #2. What do you think?
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Hans51someone says that the adverb "pretty" makes the word cheap mean #2No. That is not generally true.
CJ
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