In a word...

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pengyou
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 4:29 am

In a word...

Post by pengyou » Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:53 am

Maybe I am loosing it but my Chinese uni students often use an expression like "in a word, I want to become the best person I can be". I always thought...that when you use the expression "in a word" you should follow it up with a one word summary, like "in a word, the performance was fabulous". Am I right?

fluffyhamster
Posts: 3031
Joined: Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:57 pm
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

Post by fluffyhamster » Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:51 pm

Student: Can I use "in a word" to lead into a phrase like "I want to become the best person I can be"?

Foreign Teacher: In a word, no!

:)

pengyou
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Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 4:29 am

Post by pengyou » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:28 pm

In a word, you are great!!! ;)

Heath
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:38 am

Post by Heath » Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:30 am

in a word
said when you are going to give your opinion about something quickly and directly
In a word, she's lying.

dictionary.cambridge.org



It's an idiomatic expression. For example, when someone says "just a moment/minute" we don't count down the seconds until exactly a minute is up (and how do you even count a 'moment'). To me, 'in a word' is more about that directness than about the number of words I use. I can definitely picture myself saying something like, "In a word, I just don't feel like going".

fluffyhamster
Posts: 3031
Joined: Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:57 pm
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

Post by fluffyhamster » Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:22 pm

Surely there is a discernible difference between what is more or less a one-word message (and could be stressed as such - see the word in bold in each of the sentences in the first set), and longer phrases (see the italicized parts of the second set of sentences).

In a word, no!
In a word, she's lying.
In a word, you are great!
In a word, the performance was fabulous.

In a word, I just don't feel like going.
In a word, I want to become the best person I can be.

I wonder if languages that don't need to express grammatical subjects, auxiliaries etc as much have a phrase similar to 'In a word'.

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