| Author |
Message |
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 7:00 am
Post subject: "as it is" and "as it were" |
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Hi,
Please help me to tell the difference between these two idioms.
Here are these two sentences.
1)Even if she had made herself as big as her enemy, she would only had
had air inside, after all. And, " as it was", she did not manage to do
anything but burst.
2) Aesop's Fables were collected and published so that more people
could enjoy reading them. Aesop is, _______, the father of
storytellers.
A) frankly speaking B) so to speak C) as it seems D) as it were
The answer is D
Now I have some questions.
1) Could I choose answer A or B for I think they both make sense and
the grammar seems okay.
2) What does "as it were" mean here?
3) Can I use " as it was" instead. Then, the meaning remains the same,
or different? Then what is the differnce between "as it was/is" and
"as it were"?
Thanks a lot.
Gloria
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Arfur Million
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 12:13 pm
Post subject: Re: "as it is" and "as it were" |
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<gloria0402@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1128646953.976257.203840@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | Hi,
Please help me to tell the difference between these two idioms.
Here are these two sentences.
1)Even if she had made herself as big as her enemy, she would only had
had air inside, after all. And, " as it was", she did not manage to do
anything but burst.
2) Aesop's Fables were collected and published so that more people
could enjoy reading them. Aesop is, _______, the father of
storytellers.
A) frankly speaking B) so to speak C) as it seems D) as it were
The answer is D
Now I have some questions.
1) Could I choose answer A or B for I think they both make sense and
the grammar seems okay.
|
Yes, there is nothing wrong with them. In fact, at least one dictionary
(Chambers) defines "as it were" as "so to speak; in a kind of way", so B is
fine with very little, or no, change in meaning.
| Quote: | 2) What does "as it were" mean here?
|
See 1).
| Quote: | 3) Can I use " as it was" instead. Then, the meaning remains the same,
or different? Then what is the differnce between "as it was/is" and
"as it were"?
|
No, "as it was" wouldn't make much sense in this context. "As it were" is an
idiom with a very similar meaning to "so to speak". "As it was" does not
have this meaning, but is used in sentences such as:
- As it was raining, I did not go to the cricket match.
- As it was, I could not go to the cricket match.
The latter sentence meaning "The situation being what it was, I could not go
to the cricket match". What was preventing going to the match would need to
be mentioned elsewhere.
Regards,
Arfur |
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Mike Lyle
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:39 pm
Post subject: Re: "as it is" and "as it were" |
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Arfur Million wrote:
| Quote: | gloria0402@gmail.com> wrote in message
[...]
2) Aesop's Fables were collected and published so that more people
could enjoy reading them. Aesop is, _______, the father of
storytellers.
A) frankly speaking B) so to speak C) as it seems D) as it
were
The answer is D
Now I have some questions.
1) Could I choose answer A or B for I think they both make sense
and
the grammar seems okay.
Yes, there is nothing wrong with them. [...]
|
B is fine, but I can't agree to A here. There's nothing wrong with it
grammatically, but it's just not the kind of thing we'd be likely to
say in such a context. "Frankly [speaking]" is a sort of warning that
the speaker or writer is going to make a very direct statement which
may be unexpected or even unacceptable: "Frankly speaking, I think
Aesop's Fables are silly"; "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
In conversation, though, it's often used simply to fill space without
any real meaning.
--
Mike.
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Arfur Million
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:05 pm
Post subject: Re: "as it is" and "as it were" |
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"Mike Lyle" <mike_lyle_uk@REMOVETHISyahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3qn1kjFfs4dcU1@individual.net...
| Quote: | Arfur Million wrote:
gloria0402@gmail.com> wrote in message
[...]
2) Aesop's Fables were collected and published so that more people
could enjoy reading them. Aesop is, _______, the father of
storytellers.
A) frankly speaking B) so to speak C) as it seems D) as it
were
The answer is D
Now I have some questions.
1) Could I choose answer A or B for I think they both make sense
and
the grammar seems okay.
Yes, there is nothing wrong with them. [...]
B is fine, but I can't agree to A here. There's nothing wrong with it
grammatically, but it's just not the kind of thing we'd be likely to
say in such a context. "Frankly [speaking]" is a sort of warning that
the speaker or writer is going to make a very direct statement which
may be unexpected or even unacceptable: "Frankly speaking, I think
Aesop's Fables are silly"; "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
In conversation, though, it's often used simply to fill space without
any real meaning.
--
|
On reflection, you are quite right, A is not suitable here.
Regards,
Arfur |
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Raymond S. Wise
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2005 12:02 pm
Post subject: Re: "as it is" and "as it were" |
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gloria0402@gmail.com wrote:
| Quote: | Hi,
Please help me to tell the difference between these two idioms.
Here are these two sentences.
1)Even if she had made herself as big as her enemy, she would only had
had air inside, after all. And, " as it was", she did not manage to do
anything but burst.
2) Aesop's Fables were collected and published so that more people
could enjoy reading them. Aesop is, _______, the father of
storytellers.
A) frankly speaking B) so to speak C) as it seems D) as it were
The answer is D
Now I have some questions.
1) Could I choose answer A or B for I think they both make sense and
the grammar seems okay.
2) What does "as it were" mean here?
3) Can I use " as it was" instead. Then, the meaning remains the same,
or different? Then what is the differnce between "as it was/is" and
"as it were"?
Thanks a lot.
Gloria
|
"As it were" uses a form of the subjunctive called the "formulaic
subjunctive." The subjunctive mode was once more common in English and
formulaic subjunctives are a carryover from that time, a sort of
linguistic fossil, being now found in certain fixed phrases. In the
Aesop example, you cannot use "as it was" because "as it were" is such
a fixed phrase.
Other examples of the formulaic subjunctive, adapted from the article
"Subjunctive" in *The Oxford Companion to the English Language* by Tom
McArthur, are:
God *save* the Queen!
Heaven *forbid*!
Long *live* the Queen!
Far *be* it from me to interfere.
*Come* the end of the month, there'll be more bills to pay.
--
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com |
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