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Gene93 Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

single-handedly/by himself

Hello,
Can you see any differences between: "He defeated all his opponents single-handedly/ by himself" and "He took down the entire outlaw gand single-handedly/by himself? I think they both mean "without any help", but for some reason I prefer "single-handedly".
  

Top answer

Gene93 I think they both mean "without any help", but for some reason I prefer "single-handedly". So do I—because it is a word made for this situation. 'I potted my plants single-handedly' sounds a bit silly, however.

— Mister Micawber

  • Gene93 I think they both mean "without any help", but for some reason I prefer "single-handedly".
  • So do I—because it is a word made for this situation.
  • 'I potted my plants single-handedly' sounds a bit silly, however.
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3 Answers
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Gene93 I think they both mean "without any help", but for some reason I prefer "single-handedly".
So do I—because it is a word made for this situation.
'I potted my plants single-handedly' sounds a bit silly, however.
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I just found "She brought three children up single-handedly". This is a dictionary example and I presume that it makes sense. I think I would be more likely to use "by herself"'. And "She single-handedly supported the family after her husband's death." - even without it, the sentence would still mean the same thing to me, but I don't think that "She supported the family by herself" would sound goo
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'Single-handedly' seems to be more emphatic and referring to more challenging tasks.
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