0
Mr. Tom Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary

To all intents and purposes

Hi

Do the underlined sound natural as short conversational replies? Any suggestions are welcome. 

A- Was he unfaithful to you?
B - To all intents and purposes.  [meaning yes, almost]

A- Was he unfaithful to you?
B - Virtually. [meaning yes, almost]

A- So how did he react?
B - Left the room in high dudgeon.

Thanks,

Tom
  

Top answer

#1 and #2 are not bad, but a more natural response is simply Yes! or Yes! The son of a *****!

— Clive

  • #1 and #2 are not bad, but a more natural response is simply Yes!
  • or Yes!
  • The son of a *****!
  • #3 is not heard much in casual, modern English.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
#1 and #2 are not bad, but a more natural response is simply
Yes!
or
Yes! The son of a *****!

#3 is not heard much in casual, modern English.
0
0
Mr. Tomsuggestions
The first is the best, the second is second best. The third is very rarely heard.

Note that "for all intents and purposes" is also used. It started to be used around World War II and is now used almost as much as "to all intents and purposes".

See
0

Related Questions