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so much vs quite so much
Is "quite so much" an emphatic way saying "so much"?
Ex: don't feel (quite) so much myself, today.
Thank you in advance!
Ex: don't feel (quite) so much myself, today.
Thank you in advance!
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"Quite so much" is more specific than "so much".
If I say, "I didn't expect to like that movie so much", the amount that I like the movie is not specific. It could be just a little more than I expected or a lot more than I expected, though the feeling is that I liked it a lot more than I expected. However, if I say, "I didn't expect to like that movie quite so much", it suggests that I only liked the movie a little more than I expected.
If I say to my student, "Don't put so much emphasis on the first part of the sentence", it suggests that there is far too much emphasis on the first part of the sentence. If I say, "Don't put quite so much emphasis on the first part of the sentence", it suggests that there is only a little more emphasis on the first part of the sentence than is necessary.
In the example you used, if you say, "I don't feel so much myself today", the thought is that you hardly feel at all yourself today. If you say, "I don't feel quite so much myself today", it suggests that you are feeling just a little unusual today.
If I say, "I didn't expect to like that movie so much", the amount that I like the movie is not specific. It could be just a little more than I expected or a lot more than I expected, though the feeling is that I liked it a lot more than I expected. However, if I say, "I didn't expect to like that movie quite so much", it suggests that I only liked the movie a little more than I expected.
If I say to my student, "Don't put so much emphasis on the first part of the sentence", it suggests that there is far too much emphasis on the first part of the sentence. If I say, "Don't put quite so much emphasis on the first part of the sentence", it suggests that there is only a little more emphasis on the first part of the sentence than is necessary.
In the example you used, if you say, "I don't feel so much myself today", the thought is that you hardly feel at all yourself today. If you say, "I don't feel quite so much myself today", it suggests that you are feeling just a little unusual today.
If I heard that, I would interpret it the opposite way. The use of quite in that way would seem to indicate that the speaker nearly feels himself, but falls just short.
That is not a construction I usually hear or see used, though. But the more common "I don't quite feel myself" would be used as I described.
That is not a construction I usually hear or see used, though. But the more common "I don't quite feel myself" would be used as I described.
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