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    Difference in meaning /help

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    Difference in meaning /help
    Message from mohammad51 posted on 12-08-2024 at 05:39:25 (D | E | F)
    Hello

    1. The old man is too wise not to follow your advice easily.
    2. The old man is so wise that he can follow your advice easily.

    Many books of grammar tell when converting ( too adjective + to verb ) into so adjective + that, the meaning will not change.

    We know the structure " too adjective to" always carries negative sense.

    But here, the structure in the first sentence using ( not)

    So how can we illustrate the meaning?

    In sentence 1: Does the old man by the virtue of his wisdom understand that he ought to follow the man's advice?

    In sentence 2 : It is clear " the old man followed your advice"

    Am I right or not ?

    too = very

    question 2 : can we use ( not ) before too ?

    The weather is not too bad to go out = we can go out.


    Re: Difference in meaning /help from trams, posted on 12-08-2024 at 13:30:39 (D | E)
    Hello,

    I think you quite got the meaning of both sentences. Here is how I would rephrase them in a clear way:

    1. The old man is too wise not to follow your advice easily. => He will do it, it is certain. The probability is high. The emphasis is put on the fact that if he doesn't do it, then he will be mistaken. Plus, it outlines his wisdom and intelligence.

    2. The old man is so wise that he can follow your advice easily. => It's just the same as above but to me, it sounds more neutral. the emphasis is only put on his natural cleverness. And also the obvious connection between his intelligence and his ability to act.


    question 2 : can we use ( not ) before too ?

    The weather is not too bad to go out = we can go out. => I agree with you. It means that the weather is not perfect, but good enough to go out. No excuse.

    I hope it helps!

    Trams




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