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Baron Zhao
What's the difference between"literally'and"genuinely'?
What's the difference between"literally'and"genuinely' when they have the same meaning of "really".
like "He's genuinely gone."
"He's literally gone."
any examples to show their differences?Thanks!
Oct 5, 2018 1:37 PM
Answers · 2
6
Use "literally" for things that are usually used figuratively or hyperbolically.
People often use "starving" to mean "very hungry". If I wanted to use it with its official meaning of "about to die from hunger", I would say:
"You need to feed these people NOW. They are literally starving. If you don't feed them, they will die."
We use "genuinely" to mean "not pretending or faking".
"Bob often said "I'm sorry" without meaning it, but this time he genuinely regretted his action."
"He's gone."
"What, he's dead!?"
"No, he's literally gone. He has gone to the store. He'll be back in an hour."
"He's gone."
"Are you just saying that? I think he's hiding from me, and you're giving an excuse."
"No, he's genuinely gone. His plane left an hour ago."
October 5, 2018
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Baron Zhao
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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