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Taka Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

without thinking

My book says 'without thinking' connotes something negative; to do something without thinking means to make a mistake because you were not being considerate.

Is it really necessarily so?
  

Top answer

Taka My book says 'without thinking' connotes something negative; to do something without thinking means to make a mistake because you were not being considerate. Is it really necessarily so? I certainly recognize as it both positive and negative in nature.

— Philip

  • Taka My book says 'without thinking' connotes something negative; to do something without thinking means to make a mistake because you were not being considerate.
  • Is it really necessarily so?
  • I certainly recognize as it both positive and negative in nature.
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11 Answers
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TakaMy book says 'without thinking' connotes something negative; to do something without thinking means to make a mistake because you were not being considerate.

Is it really necessarily so?
I certainly recognize as it both positive and negative in nature.

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Certainly "thoughtlessly" is negative, but if you use "without thinking" it can have a sense of being on "autopilot."
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Good.

Now, does this sentence:

Reading books with effort is better than watching TV effortlessly.

make almost the same sense as this one?

Reading books with effort is better than watching TV without thinking.
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No, I don't read "watching TV without thinking" the same way. That means the absense of any thought process, not the sense of doing it without effort or automatically.
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Hi,

watching TV effortlessly.

This would normally be taken as meaning 'watching TV easily'.

Consider 'He passed the exam effortlessly', meaning no real effort by him was required.

Best wishes, Clive.

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The idiom without thinking is usually thought of as negative. It means something like thoughtlessly.

I'm sure he didn't mean to insult you. He just made that remark without thinking.

The words without thinking can, of course, be used literally.

He is so smart he can multiply numbers in his head practically without thinkin
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Does the sentence 'Reading books with effort is better than watching TV without thinking' itself make sense?
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Hi,

Does the sentence 'Reading books with effort is better than watching TV without thinking' itself make sense?

It's not a clearly expressed thought. 'Reading books with effort' sounds rather like you are going to discuss problems of illiteracy.

Nor does the sentence clearly contrast the concepts of 'effort / no effort'.

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I think the meaning trying to be conveyed is "It's better to engage the mind through reading a book than to mindlessly watch television."
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Grammar GeekI think the meaning trying to be conveyed is "It's better to engage the mind through reading a book than to mindlessly watch television."
GG,

Good. So although a bit awkward and unclear, it still makes sense. Then, would it have the same sense if 'anything' were added like this?

'Reading books with effort is better than watchin
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