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sara19
Joined: 18 Oct 2006
Posts: 26
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 Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 8:55 pm Post subject: Does "clever" have a negative meaning? |
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I want to say, for example, "She is a clever girl. "or "She is clever." as a compliment. But my teacher said we shouldn't use "clever" in English composition" because clever" has a negative meaning.
Is it true? Is "wise" better?? |
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Lorikeet
Joined: 08 Oct 2005
Posts: 1877
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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| "Clever" doesn't have a negative connotation to me. I looked it up in the dictionary, and I didn't see any meaning that was negative either. The synonyms it listed were "ingenious, talented, quick-witted; smart, gifted; apt, expert. skillful, agile, handy. " All of those words seem positive to me. |
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pugachevV
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2295
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| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 4:48 am Post subject: |
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In UK, "I didn't feel too clever", means I didn't feel well.
also: "too clever by half", means annoyingly proud of one's cleverness and liable to overreach oneself. |
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Lorikeet
Joined: 08 Oct 2005
Posts: 1877
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 9:10 am Post subject: |
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| Lorikeet wrote: |
| "Clever" doesn't have a negative connotation to me. I looked it up in the dictionary, and I didn't see any meaning that was negative either. The synonyms it listed were "ingenious, talented, quick-witted; smart, gifted; apt, expert. skillful, agile, handy. " All of those words seem positive to me. |
Yes, this is American English. |
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lotus
Joined: 25 Jan 2004
Posts: 862
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| Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 10:27 am Post subject: |
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Hi Sarah19,
Clever can sometimes have a negative connotation -- such as clever as a fox. In such a context, it can mean being smart but in a devious manner. Criminals can be clever. In the following Jurassic Park clip, the hunter is being outsmarted by the dinosaur and whispers "clever girl" before he is defeated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO5wryDdEI0
--lotus
_________________
War does not make one great --Yoda |
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