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Don’t Blur Fine Distinctions
If Helen offers André food, but André has just eaten, he will say, “Thank you, but I’m not really hungry.” If Helen persists,
André might say the same words in a different order: “Thank you, but I’m really not hungry,” which lets her know in a civil way that
she’s not going to change his mind. When you think about it, there is a clear-cut difference between not really and really not that
is well worth preserving.
Word order matters. Many people who mean to say Don’t just stand there now say instead Just don’t stand there. But the two
statements mean different things. Don’t just stand there means “Don’t stand there doing nothing.” Just don’t stand there means “Don’t stand there for any reason.”
The meaning of just depends on its placement in a sentence, especially when it is accompanied by negative adverbs such as not or never, or negative verbs such as don’t or wouldn’t.
Careless speakers these days blur the distinction between phrases like not just and just not. Traditionally, not just
means “not merely” or “not only,” and just not means “simply not” or “definitely not.” He’s a trusted adviser, not just a friend means “He’s both my adviser and my friend.” Whereas He’s a trusted adviser, just not a friend means something quite different: “I trust his advice, but he’s no friend of
mine.”
Saying “just not” when we mean “not just” could lead to misunderstanding, embarrassment, even hurt feelings.
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Pop Quiz
Match each of the first four sentences with its closest paraphrase in sentences A-D.
1. I just wouldn’t leave.
2. I wouldn’t just leave.
3. I can’t really concentrate in here.
4. I really can’t concentrate in here.
A. This place interferes with my concentration.
B. This place makes concentrating impossible for me.
C. If I were to leave, I’d tell you first.
D. There is no possibility that I’d leave.
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 Wordplay
The Surprising Origins of Common Words
submitted by Tim Handorf of BestCollegesOnline.net
Bikini: Bikini lovers probably don’t know the revealing two-piece swimsuit was named after a nuclear weapons test. It took place at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in 1946 after the conclusion of World War II. A few days later, fashion designer Jacques Heim introduced the bikini in an effort to take advantage of the publicity surrounding the word.
Pop Quiz Answers
1-D, 2-C, 3-A, 4-B
Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Tell your colleagues (and boss), children, teachers, and friends. Click here to watch. |
