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Hi,I look forward to being alone/solitary in the house.Is solitary OK here?Is there any subtle difference between alone and solitary in the above sentence?Is there any difference in meaning between the two sentences below? 1.She goes for a long solitary walks.2.She goes for a long walks alone. Thanks!

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I look forward to being alone/solitary in the house.

Is solitary OK here? Not really. 'Solitary' is usually used to describe someone's general character, rather than their character or situation in a particular place.

.Is there any subtle difference between alone and solitary in the above sentence?

Note that the word 'alone' is much, much more common than the word 'solitary'.

Is there any difference in meaning between the two sentences below? Remove the word 'a' from both.
1.She goes for a long solitary walks.

2.She goes for a long walks alone.

No real difference. Perhaps #1 suggests a bit that her situation is by choice. In #2, it seems a bit more possible that she may not wish to be alone. ie maybe she can't find a companion.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Clive,

1.She goes for a long solitary walks.
2.She goes for a long walks alone.

Can I still use solitary as in #1 if she does not wish to walk alone, but she can't find a companion?

Can I use alone as in #2 if the situation is by choice?

Thanks!

Clive · Answer

Hi,

1.She goes for a long solitary walks.
2.She goes for a long walks alone.

Can I still use solitary as in #1 if she does not wish to walk alone, but she can't find a companion?

Can I use alone as in #2 if the situation is by choice?

The nuances in meaning that I already mentioned are not strong enough to make your meaning very clear. I'd add some more context.

eg 1. She goes for long, solitary walks because she can't find a companion.

eg 2. She likes to go for long walks alone

Don't say 'a' with a plural noun.

Clive

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