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Hans51 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Mostly good things
"I heard about mostly good things".
In my non-native English speaker sense, "Mostly" can modify "good" and the whole noun, "good things" as a focusing adverb. Then, is there a meaning difference between them? I can not find any meaning difference between them. Please help me out again and thank you in advance.
In my non-native English speaker sense, "Mostly" can modify "good" and the whole noun, "good things" as a focusing adverb. Then, is there a meaning difference between them? I can not find any meaning difference between them. Please help me out again and thank you in advance.
Top answer
There is a definable difference either, but it is bound to be ambiguous in context: Mostly (good things) = a few bad things and many good things. (Mostly good) things = each thing is a little bad but mainly good.
- There is a definable difference either, but it is bound to be ambiguous in context: Mostly (good things) = a few bad things and many good things.
- (Mostly good) things = each thing is a little bad but mainly good.
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3 Answers
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There is a definable difference either, but it is bound to be ambiguous in context:
Mostly (good things) = a few bad things and many good things.
(Mostly good) things = each thing is a little bad but mainly good.
Mostly (good things) = a few bad things and many good things.
(Mostly good) things = each thing is a little bad but mainly good.
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Thank you all the time and could you help me again?
Even smart students do not know it VS. Even smart students do not know it
Even though I tried to figure out meaning differences, applying your answer but I couldn't. In my sense, It is almost impossible to tell the meaning difference. Please help me again.
Even smart students do not know it VS. Even smart students do not know it
Even though I tried to figure out meaning differences, applying your answer but I couldn't. In my sense, It is almost impossible to tell the meaning difference. Please help me again.
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You are right: the difference is subtle or none in the final effect.
even (smart students) = not only smart professors and not only taxi drivers.
(even smart) students = not only stupid students
even (smart students) = not only smart professors and not only taxi drivers.
(even smart) students = not only stupid students
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