0
Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
That wasn't my intention to... vs I had no intention of...
Hi,
Is there a difference in meaning between:
I had no intention of paying for her dinner and It wasn't my intention to pay for her dinner?
I have a feeling that the first conveys the message that I actually didn't pay for it whereas the second sentence would be used when I paid for it somehow by accident or was forced to do so. Am I right to think so?
Or: the second structure (It wasn't my intention to...) is generally used when you did something you didn't really want to do and now you are apologizing for that. So perhaps this structure shouldn't be used at all to express an idea of just not wanting to pay for someone's dinner.
I would appreciate your comment on that.
Thank you.
Is there a difference in meaning between:
I had no intention of paying for her dinner and It wasn't my intention to pay for her dinner?
I have a feeling that the first conveys the message that I actually didn't pay for it whereas the second sentence would be used when I paid for it somehow by accident or was forced to do so. Am I right to think so?
Or: the second structure (It wasn't my intention to...) is generally used when you did something you didn't really want to do and now you are apologizing for that. So perhaps this structure shouldn't be used at all to express an idea of just not wanting to pay for someone's dinner.
I would appreciate your comment on that.
Thank you.
Top answer
Anonymous Is there a difference in meaning between:I had no intention of paying for her dinner and It wasn't my intention to pay for her dinner? There is no difference in meaning, though the first seems more harsh. The first is more usual.
- Anonymous Is there a difference in meaning between:I had no intention of paying for her dinner and It wasn't my intention to pay for her dinner?
- There is no difference in meaning, though the first seems more harsh.
- The first is more usual.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
AnonymousIs there a difference in meaning between:I had no intention of paying for her dinner and It wasn't my intention to pay for her dinner?There is no difference in meaning, though the first seems more harsh. The first is more usual.
00
AnonymousI had no intention of paying for her dinnerSounds forward-looking (from a point in the past). I was not going to pay for her dinner, no matter what. I expect the next clause to be and I didn't.
AnonymousIt wasn't my intention to pay for her dinner?Sounds backward-looking. I expect the next clause to read
00
Related Questions