Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[kerstin]

1. A lot of people equate money with happiness.
A lot of people equate happiness with money.

Do they have the same meaning?

2. I don�t mind starting at the bottom at this stage but *as far as* hours go, I don�t want to work the usual 9 to 5.

Is that like "when it comes to"?

3. I don�t mind starting at the bottom=I don�t mind starting from the bottom?

4.
Let�s take a look at this study done by Daley in 2003

Is that pronounced two thousand and three or two thousand three?

Thanks, guys

[CP]

1. Not quite the same, despite the use of "equate." "A lot of people equate money with happiness" means that people think money brings happiness or makes happiness. "A lot of people equate happiness with money" means that people think happiness brings or makes money.

2. Yes. "As far as X goes" is an expression that means "when it comes to X" or "when the subject is X," etc. "As far as movies go, I'll take suspense over love stories any day." Same as, "When it comes to movies, I'll take suspense over love stories any day."

3. I think the expression "starting at the bottom" is a little different from "starting from the bottom," because it means beginning at the lowest rung on the ladder, figuratively, in school, in business, or anything. You would probably use "starting from the bottom" to mean the literal bottom of something -- starting from the bottom of the hill, for instance.

4. People in the U.S. usually say "two thousand three" or "two thousand and three." Some say "twenty oh three" -- correct but not common. Today is July 25th, two thousand six.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[missdaredevil]

[CP]

I think it is the other way around -- although I don't say this a hard and fast rule.

But "starting at the bottom" seems to be used to mean beginning from the figurative bottom of the hierarchy. The executive whose first job was in the mail room started at the bottom and worked his way up. You would not often hear that he started from the bottom.

But when I walked up the stairs inside the Statue of Liberty, all the way to the crown, I started from the bottom and walked up to the top. No one would laugh at me if I said that I started at the bottom of the statue, but without thinking about it, I would probably say that I started from the bottom.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb