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Luca
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:00 pm
Post subject: much good? |
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I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE Exam
paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and intuitively,
I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
I just wanted to get your opinion on whether the expression is widely
used, if you ever use it yourself and if so, in what context?
Also, is there a difference to "isn't very good" or is it just a variety
or the same?
Thanks a lot,
Luca
--
"I'm a modern day poet - with 7th grade grammar."
(RA the Rugged Man) |
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Mike Lyle
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:00 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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Luca wrote:
| Quote: | I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE
Exam paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and
intuitively, I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
I just wanted to get your opinion on whether the expression is
widely
used, if you ever use it yourself and if so, in what context?
Also, is there a difference to "isn't very good" or is it just a
variety or the same?
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It's an ordinary colloquial equivalent; but not formal.
Mike. |
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John O'Flaherty
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:00 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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Luca wrote:
| Quote: | I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE Exam
paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and intuitively,
I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
I just wanted to get your opinion on whether the expression is widely
used, if you ever use it yourself and if so, in what context?
Also, is there a difference to "isn't very good" or is it just a variety
or the same?
|
It's a little hard for me to imagine "The pay isn't much good." It would
have a different meaning than "very good". You'd usually say something
isn't much good for something else-
This kind of shovel isn't much good for digging.
If someone said "The pay isn't much good.", I'd be inclined to ask 'much
good for what?'.
This may vary according to country. I'm in the USA.
--
john |
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Adrian Bailey
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:01 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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"Luca" <luca-11-04@nurfuerspam.de> wrote in message
news:skjkp054t0n8lg5bfdlhtse0p7h5nr7k94@4ax.com...
| Quote: | I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE Exam
paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and intuitively,
I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
I just wanted to get your opinion on whether the expression is widely
used, if you ever use it yourself and if so, in what context?
|
Yes, any, though I'd class it as "informal".
"Good" is unusual in that it can be modified by "no", "any" and "much".
It wasn't any good = It was no good = It wasn't good.
It wasn't much good** = It wasn't very good.
"Good" is being treated like a noun in these situations. In slang, "not much
good" can be rendered as "not much cop".
**More or less equivalent to "It wasn't so good" and "It wasn't that good",
where "that" is used informally for "so", an adverb. Notice the nice
difference between this usage (unstressed "that") and "It wasn't _that_
good", meaning it wasn't as good as suggested or expected.
| Quote: | Also, is there a difference to "isn't very good" or is it just a variety
or the same?
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"Not much good" can sound somewhat worse than "not very good" but usually
they're equivalent. "Not up to much" has a similar meaning.
Adrian |
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Skitt
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:01 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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Adrian Bailey wrote:
| Quote: | "Luca" wrote:
I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE
Exam paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and
intuitively, I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
I just wanted to get your opinion on whether the expression is widely
used, if you ever use it yourself and if so, in what context?
Yes, any, though I'd class it as "informal".
"Good" is unusual in that it can be modified by "no", "any" and
"much".
It wasn't any good = It was no good = It wasn't good.
It wasn't much good** = It wasn't very good.
"Good" is being treated like a noun in these situations. In slang,
"not much good" can be rendered as "not much cop".
**More or less equivalent to "It wasn't so good" and "It wasn't that
good", where "that" is used informally for "so", an adverb. Notice
the nice difference between this usage (unstressed "that") and "It
wasn't _that_ good", meaning it wasn't as good as suggested or
expected.
Also, is there a difference to "isn't very good" or is it just a
variety or the same?
"Not much good" can sound somewhat worse than "not very good" but
usually they're equivalent. "Not up to much" has a similar meaning.
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Like in "What're you up to?" "Not much." Very common informal exchange.
As for the original question, I'd say that "... the pay isn't much good" is
colloquial, at best.
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/ |
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Adrian Bailey
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:01 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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"Skitt" <skitt99@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:2vvc72F2pqq2pU1@uni-berlin.de...
| Quote: | Adrian Bailey wrote:
"Not much good" can sound somewhat worse than "not very good" but
usually they're equivalent. "Not up to much" has a similar meaning.
Like in "What're you up to?" "Not much." Very common informal exchange.
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No, like in: "That new club's not up to much."
Adrian |
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Skitt
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:01 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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Adrian Bailey wrote:
| Quote: | "Skitt" wrote:
Adrian Bailey wrote:
"Not much good" can sound somewhat worse than "not very good" but
usually they're equivalent. "Not up to much" has a similar meaning.
Like in "What're you up to?" "Not much." Very common informal
exchange.
No, like in: "That new club's not up to much."
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Oh. New one on me.
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/ |
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Don Phillipson
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 4:05 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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"Luca" <luca-11-04@nurfuerspam.de> wrote in message
news:skjkp054t0n8lg5bfdlhtse0p7h5nr7k94@4ax.com...
| Quote: | I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE Exam
paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and intuitively,
I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
|
You were right. The answer sheet was wrong.
(What is FCE any way?)
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada) |
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Skitt
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 6:01 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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Don Phillipson wrote:
| Quote: | "Luca" wrote
I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE
Exam paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and
intuitively, I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
You were right. The answer sheet was wrong.
(What is FCE any way?)
|
Google says that it is First Certificate in English, whatever that means. A
Rightpondian term, I'm sure.
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/ |
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Will
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:06 pm
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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John O'Flaherty <quiasmox@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<2vvau6F2qja5vU1@uni-berlin.de>...
| Quote: | Luca wrote:
I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE Exam
paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
Now, the sentence appeared in an error correction task and intuitively,
I marked it as not correct. But the key said it was.
I just wanted to get your opinion on whether the expression is widely
used, if you ever use it yourself and if so, in what context?
Also, is there a difference to "isn't very good" or is it just a variety
or the same?
It's a little hard for me to imagine "The pay isn't much good." It would
have a different meaning than "very good". You'd usually say something
isn't much good for something else-
This kind of shovel isn't much good for digging.
If someone said "The pay isn't much good.", I'd be inclined to ask 'much
good for what?'.
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The pay isn't much good for buying lots of expensive things.
The pay isn't much good for keeping creditors at bay.
It's a perfectly acceptable demotic expression in my idiotlect.
I'm in the UK.
Will. |
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Luca
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2004 1:34 am
Post subject: Re: much good? |
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Luca wrote:
| Quote: | I need a second opinion on an expression I've encountered in an FCE Exam
paper.
"... the pay isn't much good."
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Thank you all...
Luca |
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