To Me?
Hi,
In "The waiter was discourteous to me", can we find out if, without any further context, the waiter actually had interacted with the speaker or not? I mean, maybe s/he has observed the behavior of the waiter and reached this conclusion without any engagement with him, is that possible?
Thank you.
Top answer
Where there was no interaction between the waiter and the speaker, that meaning of "to me" might be intended and understood in one case in a million, but if that meaning were really intended, it would likely be said as "In my opinion the waiter was discourteous". CJ
- Where there was no interaction between the waiter and the speaker, that meaning of "to me" might be intended and understood in one case in a million, but if that meaning were really intended, it would likely be said as "In my opinion the waiter was discourteous".
- CJ
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
Where there was no interaction between the waiter and the speaker, that meaning of "to me" might be intended and understood in one case in a million, but if that meaning were really intended, it would likely be said as "In my opinion the waiter was discourteous".
CJ
0movo"The waiter was discourteous to me",
It is understood from this that there was interaction. This interpretation is not solely a function of "to me", but involves "was" too. For example, "The waiter seemed/appeared discourteous to me" need not necessarily imply direct interaction.
0
Related Questions