Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[stevenukd]

Dear Teachers,

1.What does all this add up to?
-What does this mean?

2.Each month we add many new articles that will be of benefit to you.
-�will be of benefit to you� means � that will bring benefit to you�, right?

3.I like her very much, but she barely knows me.
-This means �she completely doesn�t know me�, right?

4.He�s really crazy about her but he�s too afraid to go up to her.
-What does �to go up to her� mean here?

5.A: Have a good exam!
B: the same to you!/ you,too!
-Are these natural?

6.What does � same here!� mean?

Thanks a lot to Teachers,

Stevenukd

[bud]

1. There are at least two possibilities that I can think of.

The most likely is: what conclusion comes from these various facts that are known?

Ex.

Grandma: Three of the cookies I just baked are gone. You came home from school, wandered into the kitchen, and then snuck into your room for 10 minutes. Nobody else but me is here. What does all this add up to?

Grandson: Uh... maybe the dog ate them?

The other is more literal: What is the total cost of these items that I want to buy?

Ex.

Shopper: I'd like to but these two shirts, the belt, the pair of jeans, and these three pair of socks. What does all this add up to?

2. Yes.

3. No, she knows you slightly. If she sees you, she probably know your name, but she knows little or nothing beyond that.

4. It means to seek her out in order to start a conversation with her. In your example, it would be to do that for the very fist time. ("Very" is a redundancy used for emphasis.)


5. I'd say that it is, but it's not the most likely. More likely would be, "Good luck!" or even, "Good luck on your/the exam!"

"Same to you" and "You, too!" are very natural. We usually don't bother saying "the" in that phrase.

6. It can mean "I agree" or "Me, too!"

I wish someone would give me a new BMW!
Same here!

I'm hungry!
Same here!