![]() To use bad language → dire des grossièretés The bad boy of sth → l'enfant terrible de qch I was selling drugs, but I didn't think I was a bad person → Je vendais de la drogue mais je ne pensais pas être quelqu'un de mauvais. (= wrong or unacceptable) → mauvais(e) → vilain(e) → mauvais(e) ![]() The firm has had a bad year → la empresa ha tenido un mal año If you don't like it, (that's) too bad! → si no te gusta, ¡ peor para ti! "that was my drink!" - "too bad!" → -¡ésa era mi bebida! -¡qué le vamos a hacer! Too bad it's too bad you couldn't get tickets → es una pena or una lástima que no hayas podido conseguir entradas This wine's not bad at all → este vino no está nada mal ![]() It would make me look bad in the press → daría una mala imagen de mí en la prensa That's not a bad idea → ésa no es una mala ideaīad light stopped play → se suspendió el partido debido a la falta de luz He was a bad driver → era un mal conductor I was bad at sports → era muy malo para los deportes, los deportes se me daban mal His handwriting is bad → tiene mala letra A similar instance is the word uptight, which in the 1960s enjoyed usage in the sense "excellent" alongside its now-current, negative meaning of "tense." Perhaps when the concepts are as basic as "good" and "bad" this general acceptance is made easier. What is more unusual is for such a usage to be generally accepted within a larger community. ![]() This is by no means uncommon people use words sarcastically to mean the opposite of their actual meanings on a daily basis. Whether or not the two usages are related, they both illustrate a favorite creative device of informal and slang language-using a word to mean the opposite of what it "really" means. Even earlier, beginning in the 1850s, the word appears in the sense "formidable, very tough," as applied to persons. While the usage is of African American origin and parallels to it are found in language use throughout the Caribbean, the "good" use of bad has been recorded for over a century. Our Living Language Many people might have the impression that the slang usage of bad to mean its opposite, "excellent," is a recent innovation of African American Vernacular English. Note that badly is required following look when it modifies another word or phrase in the predicate, as in The motorcycle looked badly in need of repair.Badly is used in some regions to mean "unwell," as in He was looking badly after the accident.Some people prefer to maintain a distinction between feel badly and feel bad, restricting the former to emotional distress and using the latter to cover physical ailments however, this distinction is not universally observed, so feel badly should be used in a context that makes its meaning clear. This usage bears analogy to the use of other adverbs with feel, such as strongly in We feel strongly about this issue. The adverb badly is often used after verbs such as feel, as in I felt badly about the whole affair. ![]() The use of badly with want and need was once considered incorrect, since in these cases it means "very much" rather than "in an inferior manner or condition" or "immorally." But this use is widespread, even in formal contexts, and is now considered standard.In our 2009 survey, 72 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the sentence just quoted. This usage is common in informal speech but is widely regarded as unacceptable in formal writing. Usage Note: Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as His tooth ached so bad he could not sleep. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |