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Buranda Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary

The usage and meaning of "otherwise"

Hi.
Please consider the following sentence.

Sentence 1
"Special characters enable you to add things to your strings that could not be added otherwise."

As far as I know, the meaning of otherwise is "or" as in the following sentence.

Sentence 2
"I gotta be hurry, otherwise I'll be late."

Unlike the Sentence 2, I have no clue what the otherwise means in Sentence 1. Could anyone help me out please?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Yes, in sentence 2, "otherwise" has the sense of "or" ("or else"). " It means that "there is no other way" to achieve something. " "Otherwise" has further meanings.

— Doctor D

  • Yes, in sentence 2, "otherwise" has the sense of "or" ("or else").
  • " It means that "there is no other way" to achieve something.
  • " "Otherwise" has further meanings.
  • For example, it can mean to take a different view.
  • " I hope this helps.
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1 Answers
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Yes, in sentence 2, "otherwise" has the sense of "or" ("or else").
"I've got to hurry, otherwise I'll be late."

In sentence 1 (whose meaning is unclear to me), the phrase is "not otherwise." It means that "there is no other way" to achieve something.
"Scuba gear allows us to see fish that are not otherwise visible."

"Otherwise" has further
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