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User_gary Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
Which one is correct?
Please explain to me what the sentence means.
Please explain what the sentence means to me.
Which one is correct?
Please explain what the sentence means to me.
Which one is correct?
Top answer
I think you need the first one. To me, the second one can have a completely different meaning, where "to me" goes with "means": you might be asking somebody (say, John) to explain to somebody else (say, Mary) your understanding of a sentence. However, I wouldn't see any ambiguity if instead of "what the sentence means" you had another object (as, for instance, in "Please explain the task to the students").
- I think you need the first one.
- To me, the second one can have a completely different meaning, where "to me" goes with "means": you might be asking somebody (say, John) to explain to somebody else (say, Mary) your understanding of a sentence.
- However, I wouldn't see any ambiguity if instead of "what the sentence means" you had another object (as, for instance, in "Please explain the task to the students").
- If I were you, I'd wait for a more reliable source.
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3 Answers
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I think you need the first one.
To me, the second one can have a completely different meaning, where "to me" goes with "means": you might be asking somebody (say, John) to explain to somebody else (say, Mary) your understanding of a sentence.
However, I wouldn't see any ambiguity if instead of "what the sentence means" you had another object (as, for instance, in "Please explain
To me, the second one can have a completely different meaning, where "to me" goes with "means": you might be asking somebody (say, John) to explain to somebody else (say, Mary) your understanding of a sentence.
However, I wouldn't see any ambiguity if instead of "what the sentence means" you had another object (as, for instance, in "Please explain
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I will have to agree with Tanit here. Both sentences make sense and have meaning, they are just asking slightly different questions.
In the first sentence, "Please explain to me what the sentence means," I hear someone wanting to know what the sentence means - in general.
In the second sentence, "Please explain what the sentence means to me," I hear someone want
In the first sentence, "Please explain to me what the sentence means," I hear someone wanting to know what the sentence means - in general.
In the second sentence, "Please explain what the sentence means to me," I hear someone want
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User_garyPlease explain to me what the sentence means.They are both grammatically correct.
Please explain what the sentence means to me.
Which one is correct?
The first tells is asking for an explanation to be given to you about the content of the sentence.
The second is asking for an explanation of what y
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